HMO licensing in Slough

The published fee for a new HMO licence is £1,086.30. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Mandatory HMO licence fee is split into two parts: Part A (processing/admin, paid on submission) = £551.30, Part B (enforcement, taken when the draft licence is issued) = £535.00, giving a total of £1,086.30. For houses with more than 6 bedrooms, an additional £36.80 per bedroom is charged from the 7th bedroom onward (added to Part A). Licences are granted for a maximum of 5 years (may be shortened for landlords/agents with a history of enforcement or non-compliance). Fees are non-refundable and licences non-transferable. No renewal discount or accredited-landlord discount is mentioned on the council's fees page.

Check the current fee on the council website (slough.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.

• An interlinked automatic fire alarm system (mains-wired or battery powered) is required throughout the property, installed in compliance with LACORS guidance, providing a minimum of 30 minutes' fire resistance through escape routes.
• A Fire Instructional Notice must be prominently displayed in the ground-floor hallway or adjacent to each break-glass call point, and 'FIRE DOOR KEEP SHUT' notices must be displayed on all fire doors except bedroom doors.
• One fire blanket must be provided at each set of cooking facilities, sited away from the cooking appliance; a carbon monoxide detector is required in any room containing a gas boiler.
• Thumb-turn locks must be fitted to all bedroom internal door handles and all escape routes, to allow easy opening in an emergency; escape routes must be kept clear of obstructions.
• Licensed HMOs may require a Fire Risk Assessment covering communal areas under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, regulated in Slough by the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

• Washing/toilet facilities scale with occupancy: 1-4 occupiers need 1 bath/shower room with WHB and 1 WC (can be combined); 5 occupiers need 1 bath/shower room with WHB plus 1 separate WC with WHB; 6+ occupiers need 1 separate WC with WHB and 1 bathroom with fixed bath/shower for every 5 sharing occupiers.
• Kitchens must be sized to the number of sharers: 5 m² (up to 4 sharers), 7 m² (5-6), 9 m² (7-8), 11 m² (9+). One 4-ring-hob cooker with oven/grill and one full-size sink with drainer required per 5 tenants sharing; kitchen worktop provided at 0.6 m² per tenant; one standard fridge/freezer (approx. 300 litres) per 4 occupants.
• Ventilation minimums: kitchen 30 l/s intermittent extract adjacent to hob (60 l/s elsewhere) or 13 l/s continuous; bathroom 15 l/s intermittent or 8 l/s continuous; sanitary accommodation 6 l/s.
• Heating must maintain at least 19°C when the outside temperature is -1°C, available to occupants at all times; portable paraffin/oil-fired and LPG (bottled gas) heaters are not acceptable under any circumstances.
• All gas appliances must be Gas Safe registered-engineer certified annually; electrical socket provision is specified by room type (e.g. minimum 2 double sockets in living rooms/bedrooms, more in shared kitchens depending on sharer count).

• Gas safety certificate (CP12) — Current certificate required if the property has a gas supply; renewed annually per national requirements.
• Floor plan — Must show an accurate layout of the property with room sizes in m²; does not need to be professionally drawn.
• Freeholder, leaseholder, mortgage company and managing agent details — Full name, postal address, telephone number and email for each party as applicable.
• Licence holder date of birth — Required as part of the online application.
• Payment card details — Applications are online-only via the council's property licensing portal (slough.metastreet.co.uk); no paper applications accepted since 1 April 2019.

• slough.gov.uk
• slough.gov.uk
• slough.gov.uk
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• slough.gov.uk

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