HMO licensing in Warrington

Warrington 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 £492.09. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

Warrington charges a single flat licence fee, paid up front by cheque (payable to 'Warrington Borough Council') or via the council's payment channels when the application is submitted — the application is not treated as made until the fee is paid. No instalment plan is published. The council's current fees and charges schedule (effective 7 April 2026) lists a new HMO licence at £492.09 (quoted by the council as excluding VAT), reduced by 10% to £442.87 for landlords enrolled in the Cheshire Landlord Accreditation Scheme (CLAS), and reduced by 50% to £246.04 for registered charities. A licence variation (e.g. change of manager or occupant numbers) costs £47.44. The council's guidance notes for applicants do not publish a separate, lower renewal fee — the same fee schedule applies whether the application is for a new licence or a renewal, and an HMO licence is not transferable to a new owner (the new owner must pay the full fee again with no refund for the unexpired term). The fee covers assessment and inspection for a licence lasting up to 5 years, sized to the number of occupants/households declared on the application.

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

• This authority has adopted the LACORS Fire Safety Guide as the basis for assessing fire precautions; requirements vary by property type (shared house vs bedsits) and number of storeys.
• 1-2 storey shared houses: Grade D LD3 automatic fire detection (BS 5839 Part 6:2004), sound traditional-construction escape route not passing through risk rooms, and conventional close-fitting internal doors.
• 3+ storey shared houses and bedsits: 30-minute fire-resisting construction to escape routes (including cellar ceilings and stair spandrels), FD30 fire doors to all risk rooms (bedrooms, living/dining rooms, kitchens, meter/boiler cupboards), multi-purpose BS EN3-7 fire extinguishers in the hall and on each landing, and signage required on fire doors.
• All external doors (including secondary porch doors) must be openable from inside without a key or code, fitted with a thumb-lock equivalent to a 5-lever mortice.
• Fire blankets to BS 6575 (or equivalent) required in every kitchen.
• A carbon monoxide alarm must be fitted in any room containing a fixed combustion appliance (other than a gas cooker), kept in working order and its condition/positioning declared to the council.
• Escape windows are acceptable as a secondary means of escape only if the room is less than 4.5 m above ground level.
• Emergency lighting required on 3+ storey properties if the escape route is long/complex or lacks borrowed light.
• Landlord Gas Safety Certificate renewed annually; Fire Detection and Alarm System Certificate (BS 5839) renewed annually; all landlord-supplied furniture and furnishings must comply with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire)(Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended).

• Bathroom/WC provision scales with occupancy: 1-4 persons need at least 1 fully-equipped bathroom (bath/shower, WC, wash hand basin — WC may be combined); 5 persons need 1 fully-equipped bathroom plus 1 separate WC with WHB; 6-9 persons need 1 fully-equipped bathroom plus 1 further bath/shower with WHB plus 1 WC with WHB; 10-15 persons need 2 fully-equipped bathrooms plus 1 bath/shower with WHB plus 1 WC with WHB.
• Every unit of living accommodation (e.g. bedsit or room) must be within one floor of a toilet. External toilets are not acceptable under any circumstance.
• Bath/shower rooms and separate toilets must have a suitable lock, solid or opaque (non-see-through) doors including fanlights, impervious and easily-cleaned wall/floor finishes, adequate heating, ventilation and artificial lighting, and hot and cold water via suitable fittings.
• Kitchen sinks: at least 1 per 5 occupiers (a dishwasher counts as a second sink), with constant hot and cold water and a suitable draining area.
• Cookers: a 4-ring hob plus oven and grill per 5 occupiers (a 27-litre combination microwave counts as a second cooker).
• Worktop: smooth impervious surface, minimum 500mm x 1000mm per 5 occupants.
• Storage: 0.3 m³ dry-goods cupboard (excluding the sink base unit) per occupier.
• Refrigeration: two worktop-height fridge/freezer units (or one fridge and one freezer, or one full-height fridge-freezer) per 5 occupants.
• Kitchen ventilation: mechanical extraction to outside air at a minimum of 60 litres/second, or 30 litres/second if the fan sits within 300mm of the hob centre.
• Space heating must be a fixed installation controllable by tenants (gas/oil/solid-fuel central heating with thermostatic radiator valves, or thermostatically-controlled fixed electric panels/storage heaters). Portable LPG and paraffin heaters are never acceptable, even if supplied by the tenant.
• If meals are provided, the property must be registered as a commercial food premises with the council's food safety team; otherwise a separate kitchen meeting the above standard must be provided for each household that lacks exclusive kitchen facilities.

• Gas safety certificate (CP12) — Current Landlord Gas Safety Record for every gas appliance/flue at the property (or the commissioning certificate for a new installation), renewed annually and submitted with the application if gas is supplied.
• EICR — Electrical Installation Condition Report / Electrical Periodic Inspection report, renewed at least every 5 years.
• EPC — Valid Energy Performance Certificate for the property.
• Fire alarm certificate — Fire Detection and Alarm System commissioning certificate (new system) or annual servicing/test certificate, in accordance with BS 5839.
• Portable Appliance Test (PAT) certificate — Required for landlord-supplied electrical appliances over 12 months old; checks should also be made at the start of each new tenancy.
• Written fire risk assessment — A fire risk assessment for the property covering escape routes, detection and fire-fighting equipment.
• Floor plans — Scale plans of the property showing room layout and measured floor areas (used to assess maximum occupancy against Warrington's minimum room sizes).
• Charity registration number (if applicable)

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