East Midlands

HMO licensing in Oadby and Wigston

Oadby and Wigston Borough Council requires a mandatory licence for HMOs occupied by 5 or more people from 2 or more households. It also runs selective licensing in designated areas, covering privately rented homes that are not licensable HMOs. The published licence fee starts at £1,000.

Mandatory licence

5+ people, 2+ households

National scheme

Additional / selective

Selective

Council-designated schemes

Licence fee

From £1,000

Decision time

Not published

Check your property Get alerts for Oadby and Wigston

Licensing schemes in Oadby and Wigston

In force

Selective licensing

Selective licensing covers privately rented homes in part of Wigston and South Wigston (streets listed in the council's designation notice). It came into force on 10 November 2025 and runs for five years, to 9 November 2030. It replaced the earlier South Wigston ward scheme (5 May 2020 to 4 May 2025).

In force from: 10 November 2025
Scheme ends: 9 November 2030

Council source

Verified 24 September 2026

Licence fees

The published fee for a new HMO licence is £1,000, and £1,000 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Mandatory HMO licence (two-part fee): Standard £550 application + £450 subsistence = £1,000 total. Discounts: accredited members of NRLA/EMPO/DASH pay £450 application (£900 total); landlords with multiple licensed properties pay £500 application (£950 total); both discounts combined bring the application fee to £400 (£850 total). Licences run for 5 years. Separately, in the Wigston and South Wigston Selective Licensing area, fees are: Standard £450 application + £400 subsistence = £850 total; accredited £350+£400=£750; multi-property £400+£400=£800; previous-applicant (relicensing a previously licensed property) £400+£300=£700; combined discounts as low as £600. A late/unidentified-property application after the 10 November 2025 enforcement date is charged £1,150.

Check the current fee on the council website (oadby-wigston.gov.uk) before you apply.

Additional and selective licence fees

Fees for council-designated schemes are set separately from the mandatory HMO fee. Figures are the standard full-rate fee for a new licence, before any discounts.

Selective licence

£850

Standard selective licence for a single dwelling in the Wigston and South Wigston designated area, no discounts, paid in two parts (application £450 + subsistence £400)

Accredited (NRLA, EMPO or DASH member) £750 total; multi-property £800; previous-applicant £700; accredited plus multi-property £700; accredited plus previous-applicant £600. Identified property / late application fee £1,150 for applications received after 10 November 2025.

Scheme: From 10 November 2025

Checked 2 October 2026 against oadby-wigston.gov.uk

Minimum room sizes

Bedroom within a multi-room letting (10+ years)	6.5 m² minimum floor area.
One-person bedsit, kitchen facilities in the room	11 m² minimum (reducible to 6.5 m² at case-officer discretion where an adequate communal living/dining area exists).
One-person bedsit, separate/shared kitchen	8 m² minimum.
Two-person bedsit, kitchen facilities in the room	16 m² minimum.
Two-person bedsit, separate/shared kitchen	13 m² minimum.

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

An adequately protected means of escape from fire must be provided, together with a detection and warning system and emergency lighting to the satisfaction of the case officer, following LACORS 'Housing - Fire Safety' guidance and Building Regulations Approved Document B.
Furniture and furnishings supplied must comply with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire)(Safety) Regulations 1988 as part of the licence conditions.
Doors and windows must allow keyless egress so there is no impediment to escape in a fire, while still allowing external doors/windows to be secured against intruders.

Kitchen, bathroom and amenity standards

Washing facilities: up to 4 sharers need at least one bathroom with fixed bath/shower and toilet; 5+ sharers need one separate toilet with wash basin per 5 occupiers plus at least one bathroom per 5 occupiers; 6-10 sharers need two bathrooms.
Kitchens (shared): one sink per 5 occupiers (minimum 500x1000mm), a full-sized cooker with at least 4 rings/oven/grill for 1-5 occupiers (two cookers, or one cooker plus microwaves, for 6-10), 4 electrical sockets per 5 occupiers above the worktop, and a 500x1500mm worktop per 5 occupiers.
Ventilation: kitchens need cooker-hood extraction of 30 l/s to the outside (or 60 l/s without a hood), bathrooms 15 l/s (interlinked to the light), and toilet compartments 6 l/s or an openable window.
Electrical sockets: 6 per living room, 6 per single bedroom/study, 4 per bedroom within a multi-room letting, plus 4 in a bedsit kitchen area and 6 elsewhere; EICR required every 5 years plus annual PAT testing of landlord-supplied appliances.

Documents you will need

Gas safety certificate — Current annual certificate for all gas appliances, if applicable.
EICR — Satisfactory Electrical Installation Condition Report, checked at 5-yearly intervals, to be provided to the Council.
Floorplan with annotated room sizes — Floorplan of the premises showing room numbers and measurements.
Fire Detection and Alarm System test report — Current test report for the fire detection/alarm system.
Fire safety risk assessment — Completed risk assessment for the property.
Emergency Lighting Test Certificate — Current certificate where emergency lighting is installed.
PAT certificate — Annual Portable Appliance Test certificate for landlord-supplied appliances, copy shared with the Council.

Sources

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