HMO licensing in South Gloucestershire

South Gloucestershire 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.

The published fee for a new HMO licence is £936, and £936 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Fee confirmed on South Gloucestershire Council's own 'Houses in multiple occupation' page: 'Properties with up to 5 units of accommodation attract the standard fee of £936 from 1 April 2026. An additional charge of £46 is made for each additional unit of accommodation.' The page states a single flat fee and does not distinguish between a new application and a renewal - no separate renewal figure, accredited-landlord discount, or instalment option is mentioned anywhere on the page.

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

• South Gloucestershire's HMO page does not require a fire risk assessment to be submitted with the licence application, but landlords are legally required to have one in place, review it regularly, and may be asked to share it with the council at any time (South Gloucestershire Council, HMO page).
• The council publishes a detailed 'Fire Safety Standards for Licensable HMOs' matrix (fetched directly from beta.southglos.gov.uk) setting requirements by number of storeys (1-4), risk level (low/medium/high, per LACORS guidance) and HMO type (shared house vs bedsit): e.g. a 1-2 storey, low-risk shared house of 3-4 sharing needs a Grade D LD3 (BS 5839 Part 6) interlinked alarm system with smoke detectors to hall/landing at each level, while a 3-4 storey, high-risk bedsit/shared house needs a Grade A LD2 system with 30-minute fire doors to all rooms (except bathrooms) and a 30-minute protected escape route.
• All detectors should be interlinked, mains-powered with integral battery standby supply unless specified otherwise; fire doors must comply with BS 476-22 and include self-closing devices; non-fire-resisting glazed, flimsy or hollow infill-type doors are not accepted (South Gloucestershire Council, Fire Safety Standards for Licensable HMOs).
• Fire blankets are required in all shared kitchens (and in bedsits, at higher risk tiers); fire extinguishers are only required where staff work or sleep at the property; key/card/coin meters are not permitted on the fire alarm power supply; means of escape must be kept free of obstructions and fire risks (South Gloucestershire Council, Fire Safety Standards for Licensable HMOs).
• Properties with basements/lower ground floors require 20-30 minute fire separation from the rest of the property depending on storey count and risk level, via either a fire door plus vertical separation, or a smoke detector to each bedroom plus a fire door to each bedroom (South Gloucestershire Council, Fire Safety Standards for Licensable HMOs).
• The standards are not prescriptive: alternatives will be accepted providing a fire risk assessment (per the LACORS 'Housing - Fire Safety' guidance) is undertaken and demonstrates an equivalent standard of safety (South Gloucestershire Council, Fire Safety Standards for Licensable HMOs).

• Bath/shower and toilet provision (shared use): 4 or fewer occupiers sharing = at least 1 fixed bath/shower and 1 toilet (which may be in the bathroom); 5+ occupiers sharing = at least 1 fixed bath/shower per 5 occupants (or part of) plus at least 1 toilet separate from the bathroom per 5 occupants (or part of), or a further complete bathroom in place of the separate toilet. Full scaling table published (e.g. 8-10 sharing = 2 bath/shower+toilet units with 1 separate toilet or 3 complete bathrooms; 11-15 sharing = 3 units with 1 separate toilet or 4 complete bathrooms) (South Gloucestershire Council, Room Size and Amenity Standards for Licensable HMOs, Nov 2018).
• Wash hand basins must be provided within each individual unit of accommodation or within each shared bathroom/toilet compartment. Bathrooms need mechanical ventilation to outside air at a minimum 15 litres/second extraction rate (in addition to any windows); separate toilets need a window of at least 1/20th of the floor area or 6 litres/second mechanical extraction, plus a fixed heating appliance in each bath/shower room (South Gloucestershire Council, Room Size and Amenity Standards, Nov 2018).
• Kitchens (shared use): a sink with constant hot/cold water, draining board and tiled splashback per 5 occupants (a dishwasher counts as a second sink; 1.5-bowl sink acceptable for 6 occupants); a cooker with 4-ring hob, oven and grill per 5 occupants (large microwave with oven/grill acceptable as a second cooker); fixed worktop(s) at least 500mm x 1000mm per 5 occupants; a 0.3 m³ dry-goods storage cupboard per occupier; 2 worktop-height fridge/freezers (or 1 fridge + 1 freezer) per 5 occupants; mechanical ventilation to outside air at 60 litres/second (or 30 litres/second if the fan is within 300mm of the hob centre) (South Gloucestershire Council, Room Size and Amenity Standards, Nov 2018).
• Four suitably positioned electric sockets are required in each kitchen plus one per major appliance (cooker, microwave, fridge/freezer, washing machine, etc.). A fixed, efficient heating appliance capable of maintaining 21°C (at an outside temperature of -1°C) is required in each unit of living accommodation, under the occupier's control and available at all times (South Gloucestershire Council, Room Size and Amenity Standards, Nov 2018).
• All personal washing/toilet and kitchen facilities must be located within 2 floors of any bedroom they serve, accessible from communal areas (unless en-suite for exclusive use), and inside the building; if a kitchen lacks a suitable dining area, one must be provided within one floor's distance (South Gloucestershire Council, Room Size and Amenity Standards, Nov 2018).

• Completed HMO licence application form — Downloaded as a .docx from the council's HMO page and submitted with the full licence fee (application is only valid once both are received).
• Landlord Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) — The council requires an updated gas safety certificate to be sent every year as an ongoing licence condition, where the property has gas appliances.
• Electrical safety certificates — The licence holder must provide safety certificates for all electrical appliances when requested by the council, as an ongoing licence condition.
• Smoke alarms installed and maintained — A licence condition requires the licence holder to install and maintain smoke alarms; see the council's Fire Safety Standards document for the specific alarm grade/detector layout required for the property's storey count and risk level.
• Fire risk assessment (not submitted with application, but must be held) — Not required to be submitted as part of the application, but the landlord is legally required to have one in place, review it regularly, and may be asked to share it with the council at any time.
• Fit and proper person information — The applicant/managing agent must have no criminal record and must not have breached housing laws or codes of practice; the council checks this as a licence condition.

• southglos.gov.uk
• beta.southglos.gov.uk
• beta.southglos.gov.uk
• southglos.gov.uk
• beta.southglos.gov.uk

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