South East
HMO licensing in Runnymede
Runnymede 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 Runnymede (checked September 2026). The published licence fee starts at £815 (£723 to renew).
Mandatory licence
5+ people, 2+ households
National scheme
Additional / selective
None in force
Mandatory licensing only
Licence fee
From £815
Renewal £723
Decision time
Not published
Licensing schemes in Runnymede
Runnymede 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 £815, and £723 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.
Runnymede Borough Council's own HMO page states verbatim: 'The basic fee is £815 per licence. If the managing agent is different to the licence holder, then an additional £93 applies. If you need assistance with your application, or you submit an incomplete application which causes us extra time to process, the total fee is £1027 per licence. If you apply for more than one HMO licence at the same time, a reduction of £93 applies to the second property and those thereafter. All fees are non-refundable.' The renewal page separately states: 'The basic fee is £723 per licence. If the managing agent is different to the licence holder, then an additional £93 applies. If you need assistance with your application, or you submit an incomplete application which causes us extra time to process, the total fee is £1027 per licence.' No accredited/national-landlord-association discount is published, and no instalment option is mentioned. totalGbp/renewalGbp below record the basic fee in each case.
Check the current fee on the council website (runnymede.gov.uk) before you apply.
Minimum room sizes
| Single bedroom | 6.51 m² (70 sq ft) minimum floor area for 1 person over 10 years of age. |
|---|---|
| Double bedroom | 10.22 m² (110 sq ft) minimum floor area for 2 persons over 10 years of age. |
| Child under 10 | 4.64 m² minimum floor area for one child under the age of 10; any room of less than 4.64 m² may not be used as sleeping accommodation at all. |
| Notes | These are council-published figures, confirmed on two of Runnymede's own pages: its 'Standards for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO's) - A landlord's guide' PDF (single/double figures, with area under 1.5m ceiling height excluded from the calculation) and its HMO licence-renewal page, which states: 'The Government has set new national minimum sleeping room sizes for licensed properties... 6.51 m2 for one person over 10 years of age; 10.22 m2 for two persons over 10 years of age; 4.64 m2 for one child under the age of 10 years; Any room of less than 4.64 m2 may not be used as sleeping accommodation.' These match the national statutory minimums under SI 2018/616, and Runnymede confirms it imposes them as mandatory licence conditions. |
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
- 1-2 storey properties: 30-minute fire-resisting door (BS 476 Part 22) between kitchen and means of escape, with intumescent strip and cold smoke seal, hung on 3 non-combustible steel hinges, self-closing; solid, well-fitting doors to bedrooms and living rooms; 30-minute fire separation to understairs cupboards; fire blanket (BS EN 1869) mounted ~1.5m above ground level in the kitchen.
- 1-2 storey properties: mains-operated interlinked smoke alarms to ground-floor hallway, first-floor landing and living room, with a heat alarm in the kitchen, complying with BS 5839 Part 6, Grade D1, LD2.
- 3+ storey properties: 30-minute fire-resisting doors (BS 476 Part 22) to all habitable rooms, with intumescent strip and cold smoke seal on 3 non-combustible steel hinges, self-closing; mains-wired automatic fire alarm system with integral standby supply, manual call points and sounders, complying with BS 5839 Part 6, Type LD1, Grade A, with a heat detector in the kitchen and smoke detectors in each bedroom and communal escape route (sounders must achieve 75 dB at each bed head); installer must provide an installation/commissioning certificate of compliance.
- Final exit doors must have easy-opening devices not requiring a key from the inside; bedroom door locks (if fitted) must be openable from inside without a key; means of escape must always be kept clear; fire alarm and emergency lighting systems must be checked/maintained by a competent electrician at least every 12 months (every 6 months for Grade A systems), with certificates retained and available on request.
Kitchen, bathroom and amenity standards
- Bathroom facilities: one set of bathroom facilities (WC, wash-hand basin with hot/cold water, bath or shower with hot/cold water) for every 5 people sharing. Where a house requires 2+ WCs, at least one should be separate from bathing facilities where practicable.
- Kitchen facilities: one 4-ring cooker with grill and oven, and one sink with drainer, per 5 occupants (a dishwasher may replace the second sink); sufficient worktop space for the number of occupants; each occupant must have at least one dry-food storage cupboard plus a shelf/drawer in both a fridge and a freezer; adequate cooking-utensil/crockery/cutlery storage, refuse disposal facilities, and sufficient electrical sockets for the number sharing.
- Lighting and ventilation: adequate natural and artificial lighting/ventilation required in all habitable rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, WCs and circulation spaces.
Documents you will need
- Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — Issued within the last 5 years.
- Landlord's Gas Safety Record — Issued within the last 12 months, if the property has gas.
- Fire risk assessment — If one has been undertaken.
- Maintenance and inspection reports for fire precaution equipment — Required where Grade A fire alarm systems and emergency lighting are installed.
- Annotated floor plans — Must accurately reflect the property layout, show the location of basic facilities (baths, toilets, wash-hand basins etc.) and fire precaution equipment, give accurate room measurements for floor-space calculation, and mark any areas with ceiling height below 1.5 metres.
- HMO licence application form — PDF form completed on computer, then supporting documents uploaded via the HMO licensing portal.
Sources
Compiled from the council’s own published pages and documents; data reviewed September 2026. Rules and fees change, so always confirm with Runnymede Borough Council before applying. This is general information, not legal advice.