HMO licensing in Test Valley

Test Valley 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.

The published fee for a new HMO licence is £721, and £638 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Test Valley operates a two-part fee structure, confirmed both in the council's own 'HMO Licensing Application Guidance Notes' and in its official 'Housing & Environmental Health Service Fees & Charges' book. Renewal Part 1 = £383.00, plus the same £255.00 Part 2 operation charge = £638.00 total. A 'Supplementary operation charge' of £338.00 applies instead of the standard £255.00 Part 2 charge for late applications (i.e. where the HMO has been operating unlicensed for more than 3 months without evidence to the contrary), per the council's Application Guidance Notes - giving £804.00 (new, late) or £721.00 (renewal, late). The council's HMO Guidance on Standards and Application Guidance Notes both state 'There is a discount for members of a recognised Landlord Association' but do not publish a specific discount percentage on the documents reviewed, so no numeric accredited-landlord discount has been recorded to avoid fabricating a figure. 2025/26 rates (for comparison, same structure): Part 1 £455.00/+£25 per room, Part 2 £249.00, renewal Part 1 £374.00, late supplementary charge £330.00. Two-part fee: Part 1 (processing) is payable with the application; Part 2 (scheme operation charge) is payable only once a decision to grant the licence has been made, and must be paid before the licence is issued. Test Valley does not accept credit cards; payment is by cheque or debit card.

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

• The landlord/responsible person must carry out a fire risk assessment (FRA) to determine appropriate fire precautions; Test Valley officers and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service will not complete the FRA on the landlord's behalf.
• All HMOs must be fitted with smoke detectors, as a minimum mains-wired with battery back-up and interlinked to sound simultaneously; higher-risk HMOs may need a control-panel system. Kitchen areas should be fitted with heat detectors (not smoke) to avoid false alarms from cooking.
• Where a 30-minute protected escape route is required, 30-minute fire doors with intumescent strips (and smoke seals where required) must be fitted, with self-closers compliant with BS EN 1154:1997 (minimum power level 3).
• Locks on doors along the escape route (including bedroom doors and final exit doors) must be openable from inside without a key (e.g. thumb-turn locks).
• A fire blanket must be provided in all kitchen areas, wall-mounted and not directly over the cooker. Fire extinguishers are generally not recommended (occupants are not trained to use them) but must be serviced/maintained if provided.
• Emergency escape lighting (to BS 5266) may be required where the escape route is long, complex or dark.
• Carbon monoxide detectors are mandatory in any room with a solid fuel burning appliance, and strongly recommended wherever gas appliances are present.

• Bathrooms/toilets: at least one bathroom and one toilet per 5 occupiers (excluding occupiers with their own en-suite), for both joint-tenancy shared houses and bedsit accommodation. In licensed HMOs, one wash hand basin should be provided within each sleeping room where reasonably practicable.
• Kitchens (shared houses, single joint tenancy): 1 standard cooker (4 rings/hotplates, oven, grill) per 5 persons (a microwave can extend capacity by 2 persons; 2 cookers required above 7 persons up to 10); 1 single-bowl sink and drainer per 5 occupiers; at least 2m x 0.5m worktop per 5 persons (or 0.4m x 0.5m per person if greater); double base unit and one wall unit of storage per 5/1 persons respectively; standard fridge and freezer per 5 persons; 2 double power sockets above worktop per 5 occupiers.
• Kitchens (shared houses, individual tenancies/bedsits with shared kitchen): 1 standard cooker per 3 lettings; 1 single-bowl sink and drainer per 3 lettings; worktop and storage requirements scaled per 3 lettings rather than per 5 persons.
• Bedsits with in-room kitchen facilities: 1 small cooker (2 rings/hotplates), 1 single-bowl sink and drainer, at least 1m x 0.5m worktop, single wall/base storage unit, small fridge/freezer, 2 double power sockets - all provided within the individual letting room.
• Kitchen extractor fans must vent to the outside: minimum 30 litres/second if positioned above the hob, 60 litres/second if positioned elsewhere in the kitchen. Bathroom mechanical extraction must achieve at least 15 litres/second.
• Each habitable room must have at least 2 double electrical power sockets (excluding kitchen-appliance sockets in bedsits), plus 1 single socket on the landing and 1 in the hallway.
• Waste: generally 1 standard 240L wheelie bin of each type (general/recycling) per 4 occupants.

• Gas safety certificate — Current certificate (all gas appliances inspected at least every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer); must be sent with the application and renewed annually to Private Sector Housing thereafter.
• Electrical safety certificate — Evidence electrical installations have been inspected/tested by a competent person at least every 5 years.
• Basic layout/floor plan — Dimensioned plan labelling the use and size (m²) of each room; need not be to scale or prepared by an architect/surveyor, but must be dimensioned and clear.
• Fit and Proper Person declaration — Information/certification addressing unspent convictions, unlawful discrimination findings, housing/landlord-tenant law contraventions, control/management orders, and any prior licence refusals or revocations relating to the applicant or proposed licence holder.
• Notifications to interested parties — Evidence that freeholders, mortgage companies, other owners, and tenants with more than 3 years left on their lease/tenancy have been notified of the intention to licence the HMO.

• testvalley.gov.uk
• testvalley.gov.uk
• testvalley.gov.uk
• testvalley.gov.uk
• testvalley.gov.uk

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