South East
HMO licensing in Swale
Swale 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 Swale (checked September 2026). The published licence fee starts at £896 (£701 to renew).
Mandatory licence
5+ people, 2+ households
National scheme
Additional / selective
None in force
Mandatory licensing only
Licence fee
From £896
Renewal £701
Decision time
About 13 weeks
The council's stated aim
Licensing schemes in Swale
Swale 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 £896, and £701 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.
Swale's own HMO licensing pages (fetched live via browser 23 September 2026) state: 'You'll need to pay £896 for a HMO licence or £761 if you're an accredited landlord' (new/first application) and, on the separate Renew page, 'You'll need to pay £701 to renew a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licence. If you're an accredited landlord, the fee is reduced to £597.' These are flat fees (not scaled by occupant numbers) with a clear accredited-landlord discount.
Check the current fee on the council website (swale.gov.uk) before you apply.
Minimum room sizes
| Single bedroom | 6.51 m² minimum floor area (national HMO space standard). |
|---|---|
| Double bedroom | 10.22 m² minimum floor area (national HMO space standard). |
| Child under 10 | 4.64 m² minimum floor area (national HMO space standard). |
| Notes | No Swale-specific room-size figures were found on the council's current HMO pages. The council's 'Guide to Houses in Multiple Occupancy and Mandatory Licensing' booklet (dated July 2009, still linked from the current pages) predates the Licensing of HMOs (Mandatory Conditions of Licences) (England) Regulations 2018 and does not itemise room sizes either. Figures above are the national statutory minimums under those 2018 Regulations, applied as an explicit fallback. |
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
- Standard mandatory licence conditions (per the council's 2009 HMO guide, consistent with the Housing Act 2004 mandatory conditions still in force): a valid current gas safety certificate must be provided on application and renewed annually; proof electrical appliances are in a safe condition; furniture must be fire resistant; proof smoke alarms are correctly positioned, installed and maintained.
- The council can also apply additional conditions requiring specified fire-safety works or repairs within a set time frame, and can use the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) to require the property be free of serious hazards within 5 years of licensing.
Kitchen, bathroom and amenity standards
- The council's guidance states that suitability for the number of permitted occupants 'will take account of facilities such as washing and kitchen provision,' but no specific numeric kitchen/bathroom ratios are published on Swale's current HMO web pages.
- A licence specifies the maximum number of permitted occupants, and the council can require that facilities/amenities (bathrooms, toilets, kitchen) are kept in good working order.
Documents you will need
- Gas safety certificate — Current certificate, renewed annually while the licence is in force.
- Electrical safety evidence — Proof that all electrical appliances/installations are in a safe condition.
- Fire-resistant furniture evidence — Confirmation that furniture provided meets fire-resistance requirements.
- Smoke alarm confirmation — Evidence smoke alarms are correctly positioned, installed and maintained.
- Tenancy agreement / written statement of terms — Each occupier must have a written statement of occupation terms.
- Fit and proper person information — Information to support the fit-and-proper-person assessment of the licence holder/manager.
Sources
Compiled from the council’s own published pages and documents; data reviewed September 2026. Rules and fees change, so always confirm with Swale Borough Council before applying. This is general information, not legal advice.