West Midlands

HMO licensing in Nuneaton and Bedworth

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council requires a mandatory licence for HMOs occupied by 5 or more people from 2 or more households. No additional or selective licensing scheme is currently in force in Nuneaton and Bedworth (checked September 2026). The published licence fee starts at £841.

Mandatory licence

5+ people, 2+ households

National scheme

Additional / selective

None in force

Mandatory licensing only

Licence fee

From £841

Decision time

Not published

Check your property Get alerts for Nuneaton and Bedworth

Licensing schemes in Nuneaton and Bedworth

Nuneaton and Bedworth 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.

Licence fees

The published fee for a new HMO licence is £841. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Fee is scaled by occupier count, per the council's HMO licence page: £841 where the house is occupied by five persons living as two or more households; £882 for six to ten occupiers; £923 for eleven occupiers and over. totalGbp shows the entry-level (5 occupier) fee. The council's pages do not publish a separate renewal fee, an accredited-landlord discount or an instalment option, so renewalGbp and instalments are null. Licences last five years. Fee was read from the council's page in September 2026; confirm with the Private Sector Housing Team before quoting to a landlord.

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

Minimum room sizes

Single bedroom	Council standard (HMO Standards, April 2024, Category B shared houses/flats, section 2.8): 10 m2 for one person where there is only a shared kitchen; 6.51 m2 where there is also a separate shared living room of the minimum size (11 m2 for 2-5 residents, 16.5 m2 for 6-10, 21.5 m2 for 11-15). Bedsit-type lets (Category A) have larger minima (e.g. 10 m2 single room with cooking facilities, 11 m2 bedsit with separate kitchen).
Double bedroom	Council standard (Category B): 15 m2 for two people, or 11 m2 where a separate shared living room of the minimum size is provided.
Child under 10	Not separately specified in the council's HMO Standards. National fallback: 4.64 m2 minimum for one child under 10 (Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Mandatory Conditions of Licences) (England) Regulations 2018, SI 2018/616). Rooms under 4.64 m2 cannot be used as sleeping accommodation. National fallback for adults: 6.51 m2 single, 10.22 m2 for two.

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.

Fire safety requirements

Fire precautions must follow the LACORS 'Housing - Fire Safety' guidance (the council's HMO Standards refer applicants to it and to the Homestamp 'Guide to Fire and Security Protection in Multi-occupied Residential Properties').
The application form requires a BS 5839 fire detection system certificate (LD2 automatic fire detection to BS 5839 as a licence condition if not already present); the certificate must be supplied with the application (test within the last 6 months) or within 2 months of the application date.
Where the property has no fire detection, an interlinked system of battery smoke/heat detectors is strongly recommended in the interim (application form).
Managers must keep means of escape and fire doors in good condition and self-closing, keep escape routes clear, display escape-route notices in HMOs with five or more occupants, and test the fire detection and emergency lighting regularly (monthly by the landlord plus an annual competent-person test) - Management of HMOs Regulations 2006, reg 4, as summarised in the council's HMO Standards section 3.8.
Occupiers must be given details of fire exit routes and fire safety information (application form question 22b).

Kitchen, bathroom and amenity standards

Shared kitchen (Category B): at least 7 m2 for 2-5 residents, 10 m2 for 6-10 residents, 13.5 m2 for 11-15 residents (per the council's bedsit/shared-house kitchen size tables).
Cooking: one conventional cooker (4 burners, oven and grill) per five persons; up to 7 persons a 20-litre combination microwave may substitute for a second cooker; 8-10 persons need at least 2 cookers and 11-15 at least 3.
Sinks: one sink with hot and cold water per five persons (a double-bowl sink and drainer, or a sink plus dishwasher, is accepted up to 7 persons); 8-10 persons need at least two sinks and 11-15 at least three.
Food preparation: a 0.5 m run of fixed worktop (minimum 500 mm wide) per user; adequate mechanical extract ventilation in shared kitchens.
Bathrooms: at least one bath or shower per five persons sharing; wash-hand basin in any bathroom or room containing a WC.
WCs: one WC per five persons where separate from the bathroom, or one per four persons where the WC is inside the bathroom; examples given include 5 persons = 1 bathroom + 1 separate WC.
Heating: fixed heating in all bedrooms and communal rooms capable of reaching 18C within one hour at an outside temperature of -1C (section 3.1 as extracted); paraffin and similar portable heaters are not acceptable as the main heating.
Electrical installation must be inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified electrician; gas appliances need an annual Gas Safe landlord gas safety certificate.

Documents you will need

Completed HMO licence application form — One form per property, from the council's HMO Licence Application Pack.
Application fee — £841 (5 occupiers), £882 (6-10) or £923 (11+), paid with the application.
Fit and proper person declaration — For the proposed licence holder and any manager involved in managing the property (not needed again if already supplied for a previous Nuneaton and Bedworth application).
Landlord gas safety certificate — Current certificate, issued in the last 12 months, where the property has gas.
Electrical installation condition report — Periodic inspection report (within the last 5 years) - supply with the application or within 2 months of the application date.
Fire alarm inspection certificate — BS 5839 fire detection system certificate (within the last 6 months) - supply with the application or within 2 months of the application date.
Portable appliance and furniture safety declarations — Declaration that supplied portable electrical appliances and furniture comply with current safety requirements (application form questions 23a and 25).
Code of Good Management Practice agreement — Signed agreement to the council's Code of Good Management Practice (application form question 16).

Sources

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