HMO licensing in Rotherham

The published fee for a new HMO licence is £929, and £805 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Rotherham charges a mandatory HMO licence fee of £929, split into a non-refundable £266 application element (paid when the application is submitted) and a £663 maintenance element (paid once a draft licence has been granted). Renewal applications for licences that have not lapsed cost £805 in total (£237 renewal application fee plus £568 renewal maintenance fee). A late application (submitted after the property becomes licensable) incurs an additional non-refundable £411 penalty on top of the application fee. The fee is a flat, per-property charge (not scaled by occupant numbers) and covers a single specified HMO for up to 5 years, with the licence stating the maximum number of people who may live there; it is not transferable, so a new owner must apply and pay in full again. This fee is for mandatory HMO licensing only — it does not apply to the separate Selective Licensing scheme covering non-HMO private rentals (see notes).

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

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.

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.

• A property-specific Fire Risk Assessment is required, based on the LACORS Fire Safety guidance for HMOs and agreed with the Council's Community Protection Unit and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
• Kitchen doors must be 30-minute fire doors with heat and smoke seals in all HMOs; bedroom doors must be solid and close-fitting in 1–3 storey properties, rising to 30-minute fire doors with heat seals in 4+ storey properties.
• A Grade D interlinked smoke alarm system must cover escape routes at every level with a heat alarm in the kitchen; larger or higher-risk HMOs require a Grade A system, professionally inspected and serviced at least every 6 months.
• A fire blanket must be provided in every kitchen, and any cellars or understairs cupboards must have a 30-minute fire-resistant ceiling.
• Final exit doors and any locks fitted to bedroom doors must be openable from the inside without a key — break-glass boxes are not acceptable.
• 3+ storey properties require additional interlinked smoke alarms in cellars and living rooms plus a 30-minute protected escape route.
• Electrical installations must be inspected and tested by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 5 years, and gas appliances checked annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

• Bath/shower and toilet ratio: minimum 1 bathroom (bath or shower) and 1 toilet for up to 4 sharing occupiers; for 5 or more sharing occupiers, 1 separate toilet with wash-hand basin and 1 bathroom with fixed bath/shower per 5 occupiers. A bath (not just a shower) must be provided if a child under 10 lives at the property.
• Kitchens must provide one complete set of facilities (4-ring cooker with oven/grill, stainless steel sink, minimum 1000mm x 600mm worktop, fridge with adequate freezer, food storage) per 5 sharing occupiers, available 24 hours a day, with mechanical extraction of 60 litres/second (or 30 litres/second if sited within 300mm of the hob).
• Bathrooms must be no more than two floors from sleeping accommodation and toilets no more than one floor away; shared facilities must be accessible from a common area inside the building.
• A fixed space-heating appliance capable of maintaining 18°C when it is -1°C outside, under the occupier's own control, must be provided to every unit of accommodation; liquid-fuel or portable liquid-fuel-gas heaters are not acceptable.
• Minimum fixture sizes apply: wash-hand basin 500 x 400mm, bath 1700 x 700mm, shower tray 800 x 800mm, with a tiled splash-back to baths and basins and mechanical bathroom ventilation of at least 15 litres/second.
• All furniture supplied with the accommodation must comply with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire)(Safety) Regulations, and the licence holder must keep electrical appliances in a safe condition (e.g. periodic PAT testing).

• Gas safety certificate (CP12) — Annual check by a Gas Safe registered engineer covering every gas appliance and flue; a copy must be provided to the Council within 7 days of a written request.
• EICR — Electrical Installation Condition Report for the fixed wiring, carried out by a competent/NICEIC-registered person at intervals not exceeding 5 years — enclose a copy with the application if one already exists.
• Furniture and Furnishings Fire Safety declaration — Signed declaration on the application form confirming all upholstered furniture supplied complies with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire)(Safety) Regulations 1993.
• Scale floor plan — A plan (may be hand-drawn but roughly to scale) showing each room's use and dimensions plus the fire precautions installed — fire doors, smoke/heat detectors and alarm sounders — as illustrated in the Council's example plan.
• EPC — Valid Energy Performance Certificate for the property, as required for all privately rented homes under national energy efficiency regulations.

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