HMO licensing in North Warwickshire

North Warwickshire Borough Council operates the national mandatory scheme. We found no additional or selective licensing scheme in force or proposed as of September 2026. Councils can introduce one after a public consultation, so it is worth setting an alert.

The published fee for a new HMO licence is £904, and £833 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Fees from the council's HMO Licensing page, banded by number of occupiers, effective 2026/27 (fees and charges from 1 April 2026). New application: 5-9 occupiers £904; 10-14 £952; 15-19 £1,000; 20+ £1,046. Renewal: 5-9 £833; 10-14 £870; 15-19 £907; 20+ £944. totalGbp and renewalGbp are the 5-9 occupier band (the smallest licensable band). Scaling fee, single payment (no instalments published). No landlord-accreditation discount is published. DISCREPANCY: the council's official Fees and Charges 2026-27 PDF prints the 5-9 band new-application fee as £804 (the text extraction is misaligned and the PDF also shows a 2-4 band at £856 new / £797 renewal); £804 breaks the rising sequence (856, 804, 952, 1,000, 1,046) and the HMO Licensing web page states £904, so the web page figure is used and £804 is treated as a probable typo. Verify with the council before quoting 5-9 new-application fees to customers. The PDF also lists variation of licence £187 and states licences are not transferable.

Check the current fee on the council website (northwarks.gov.uk) before you apply.

National minimums for licensed HMOs are 6.51 m² for one adult and 10.22 m² for two adults; councils can apply higher local standards.

• The council's standards booklet excludes fire standards and directs owners to the LACORS national guidance 'Guidance on Fire Safety Provisions for Certain Types of Existing Housing'; the HMO standards page says the council will have regard to the LACORS Fire Safety Guide and the Homestamp Fire Safety Standards.
• Precautions must be appropriate to the type of HMO (shared house vs bedsit) and a risk assessment; LACORS recognises that shared houses may need somewhat reduced precautions.
• Management Regulations 2006: the manager must keep all means of escape clear, fire doors in good condition and self-closing, display escape route notices in HMOs with five or more occupants, and test the fire detection/warning and emergency lighting systems regularly (typically a monthly landlord test plus an annual test by a competent person).
• Gas installation tested annually by a Gas Safe engineer and electrical installation inspected at least every five years; certificates supplied to the council within 7 days of a written request.
• New HMO licence conditions took effect for licences received from May 2026; landlords should review them on receiving the draft licence (the conditions themselves were not itemised on the pages reviewed).

• Shared house kitchens (Category B): obligatory kitchen 7 m2 for 2-5 residents, 10 m2 for 6-10, 13.5 m2 for 11-15; combined kitchen/living/dining space 16 m2 for 2-5 persons or 25.5 m2 for 6-10 persons. Kitchen no more than one floor from the bedrooms it serves (two floors where a suitable adjacent dining room exists).
• Cooking: a conventional cooker (4 burners, oven and grill) for every five persons; up to seven persons a 20-litre combination microwave may replace the second cooker; 8-10 persons need at least two cookers and 11-15 at least three. Sinks: one per five persons (a double-bowl sink or dishwasher acceptable up to seven), two for 8-10 and three for 11-15.
• Food preparation and storage: 0.5 m of fixed worktop per user; at least 2 twin sockets per five persons; a 100-litre fridge with freezer compartment per three persons (or a tall fridge-freezer per five); 500 mm of storage unit per person; mechanical kitchen extract of at least 60 l/s to external air; impervious easily cleaned flooring.
• Bathrooms: at least one bath or shower room per five persons; properties over five persons need additional bathrooms; every bathroom or room with a WC must have a wash hand basin.
• WCs: one WC per five persons where separate from the bathroom, or one per four where within the bathroom, not more than one floor from any user (e.g. up to 5 persons: 1 bathroom plus 1 separate WC; larger houses need more, see s.2.11 table).
• Also required in all categories: adequate space heating, lighting and ventilation (general standards s.3.1-3.6); no room occupied by more than two persons; no living/sleeping in rooms not designated as such; no credit for floor area under 1.525 m ceiling height.

• Gas safety certificate — Current digital copy to upload with the application (via GOV.UK licensing application).
• Electrical safety inspection certificate — Current electrical installation inspection certificate (EICR).
• Fire safety installation and commissioning and/or routine test certificate — Fire detection and alarm system certificate.
• Emergency light installation certificate — Where emergency lighting is installed.
• Tenancy agreement — If the property is occupied.
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) — Showing the current EPC rating.
• Floor plans — Floor plans of the property.
• Fit and Proper Person check — Fit and proper person check for the licence holder / manager.

• northwarks.gov.uk
• northwarks.gov.uk
• northwarks.gov.uk
• northwarks.gov.uk

Compiled from the council’s own published pages and documents; data reviewed September 2026. Rules and fees change, so always confirm with North Warwickshire Borough Council before applying. This is general information, not legal advice.