HMO licensing in Vale of White Horse

Vale of White Horse District 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 £1,034. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Vale of White Horse (administered jointly with South Oxfordshire District Council under the shared South and Vale Private Sector Housing Team) publishes a single tiered fee per licence (covering a 5-year licence term), scaled by number of bedrooms, on the council's own 'Mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation' page: up to 5 bedrooms £1,034 total (£620 application stage + £414 issue stage); 6 bedrooms £1,073 (£644+£429); 7 bedrooms £1,112 (£667+£445); 8 bedrooms £1,151 (£691+£460); 9 bedrooms £1,190 (£714+£476); 10 bedrooms £1,229 (£737+£492). An additional advice visit costs £196. The page does not distinguish a separate lower 'renewal' fee from a 'new application' fee — the published schedule appears to be the standard fee applying to any application (new or renewal) for a given bedroom count, so renewalGbp is left null rather than assumed equal or different. No accredited-landlord or landlord-association discount is mentioned anywhere on the fee page.

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

• All HMOs require a written fire risk assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005; landlords may complete this themselves but may be required to commission a professional assessment if Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service audits the property (council HMO application guidance notes, Oct 2020).
• Fire precautions are graded by property type (low-risk shared house, high-risk shared house with individual tenancies/locks, and high-risk bedsit with individual kitchens) and by number of storeys (1-2, 3, or 4), per the council's HMO Standards document (Jan 2024) — requirements scale up with storeys and risk category.
• Minimum provision in all HMOs includes: wall-mounted fire blanket in kitchens; 30-minute fire doors (FD30) with heat/smoke seals and self-closers on kitchen, living room and (in higher-risk cases) bedroom and basement/cellar doors; a Grade D LD2 mains-wired interlinked smoke alarm system as a baseline, upgraded to Grade A LD2 for higher-risk/taller properties.
• Escape routes must be kept clear; stairs must be underdrawn to give 30 minutes fire resistance; cellar and basement ceilings must have 30-minute fire resistance; final exit doors and bedroom door locks must be openable from inside without a key (thumb-turn, no break-glass boxes).
• Emergency lighting is only required in properties of 3+ storeys where the escape route is complex or lacks effective borrowed light.
• Upholstered furniture must comply with the Furnishings (Fire Safety) Amendment Regulations 1993 (fire-resistant filling, cigarette and match resistance tests).

• Personal washing/toilet facilities sharing ratios (council HMO Standards document): 1-4 sharers = 1 bathroom + 1 toilet with wash basin (may be combined); 5-10 sharers = minimum 1 bathroom (toilet, basin, bath/shower) plus 1 bathroom and 1 separate toilet with basin; 11-15 sharers = higher provision up to 3 bathrooms and 3 separate toilets with wash basins (per the published table, which also sets out separate ratios for bedrooms with en-suites).
• A minimum of one full-size bath (not just a shower) must be provided in any HMO housing children under 10.
• Kitchen facilities sharing ratios: a complete set of kitchen facilities (sink, worktop, storage, fridge/freezer, cooker) required for every 5 occupants; 3-5 sharers = 1 complete set; 6-7 sharers = 2 complete sets (a combination microwave may count as a second cooker, a dishwasher as a second sink, if co-located); 8-10 sharers = 2 complete sets with larger worktop; 11+ sharers = at least 2 separate kitchens with 3 complete sets between them. No more than 2 sets of facilities are normally permitted in a single kitchen room.
• Kitchen minimum usable floor area: 7 m² for 3-5 occupants, 10 m² for 6-10 occupants; all kitchens must be at least 1.8 m wide.
• Cooker: gas or electric with 4 rings/burners, oven and grill (2-ring hob minimum for bedsit kitchens); refrigerator minimum 130-litre capacity with 60-litre freezer; minimum one food storage cupboard per occupant.
• Fixed heating must maintain 21°C indoors at -1°C outside in every unit of living accommodation; pre-payment electricity/gas meters are not accepted in licensed HMOs (except for facilities independent to a single letting room).
• All habitable rooms need direct ventilation to external air via a window with openable area of at least 1/20th of the floor area; kitchens, bathrooms and toilets should have mechanical extract ventilation to the outside where practicable.

• Proof of address for the licence holder — Listed as one of the minimum 3 supporting documents that must be uploaded with the online HMO application (council guidance notes, Oct 2020).
• Gas safety certificate — Current landlord's Gas Safety Certificate, dated within the last 12 months, required as supporting documentation.
• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — Current EICR/Domestic Installation Periodic Report, valid within the last 5 years, covering the whole electrical installation, required as supporting documentation.
• Portable Appliance Test (PAT) certificate — Current PAT certificate, within the last 12 months, listed among the supporting documents.
• Fire risk assessment — A suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is required for all licensable HMOs.
• Fire alarm system commissioning/test certificate — Current certificate, within the last 12 months, listed as supporting documentation.
• Emergency lighting test certificate — Current certificate, within the last 12 months, required if emergency lighting is installed/applicable.
• Tenancy agreement — A copy of the tenancy agreement(s) provided to tenants must be submitted with the application.
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) — Listed among the supporting documents for the application.
• Building regulations completion certificates and planning consents — Required if applicable to the property (e.g. loft conversions, extensions).

• whitehorsedc.gov.uk
• whitehorsedc.gov.uk
• southandvale.gov.uk

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