South East
HMO licensing in Wealden
Wealden District 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 Wealden (checked September 2026). The published licence fee starts at £808.
Mandatory licence
5+ people, 2+ households
National scheme
Additional / selective
None in force
Mandatory licensing only
Licence fee
From £808
Decision time
Not published
Licensing schemes in Wealden
Wealden 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.
Licence fees
The published fee for a new HMO licence is £808. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.
Published on Wealden District Council's own 'Houses In Multiple Occupation' page as the fee structure 'effective under the revised mandatory scheme'. Fees scale by occupant/unit count, in two separate scales: (1) 'Shared house' accommodation (unrelated occupants with own bedrooms sharing kitchen/bathroom): 5 persons (the 'standard' fee) £808, 6 persons £823, 7 persons £839, 8 persons £855, 9 persons £870, plus £16 for each additional person thereafter. (2) Bedsit accommodation (each occupant has own room with cooking facilities, sharing bathroom): 2 units £933, 3 units £996, 4 units £1,059, 5 units £1,121, 6 units £1,184, plus £63 for each additional unit thereafter. These are initial application fees; the page states 'Please contact us for hostel type accommodation and renewal fees,' meaning the specific renewal fee amount is NOT published online, so renewalGbp is left null rather than assumed equal to the initial fee. No accredited-landlord or landlord-association discount is mentioned anywhere on the page. The licence fee is explicitly non-transferable and non-refundable if a licence is not granted or a licence holder ceases to hold it. totalGbp uses the standard 5-person shared-house initial fee (£808) as the representative baseline figure, consistent with how this figure is quoted elsewhere as 'the mandatory licence fee.'
Check the current fee on the council website (wealden.gov.uk) before you apply.
Minimum room sizes
| Single bedroom | Not published with specific figures on Wealden's HMO page; the page states the Council has 'introduced prescribed standards for deciding the suitability for occupation of an HMO,' referencing a 2018 prescribed-standards document, but the document itself could not be located live on wealden.gov.uk during this research. National fallback per SI 2018/616 applies: 6.51 m² for a single adult. |
|---|---|
| Double bedroom | Not published with specific figures on Wealden's HMO page (see note above). National fallback per SI 2018/616 applies: 10.22 m² for two occupants. |
| Child under 10 | Not published with specific figures on Wealden's HMO page (see note above). National fallback per SI 2018/616 applies: 4.64 m² for a child under 10. |
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
- The council's HMO page links to national guidance rather than publishing its own bespoke fire safety standards: 'Fire safety risk assessment: sleeping accommodation' (GOV.UK) and the LACORS Fire Safety Guidance, both cited as 'Further Information' resources on the page.
- Mandatory licence conditions include that the licence holder must install smoke alarms and keep them in proper working order, and supply a declaration of their positioning and condition to the Council on demand.
- Licence holders must keep electrical appliances and furniture supplied by the landlord in a safe condition and supply declarations of their safety to the Council on demand.
- Breach of licence conditions without reasonable excuse is a criminal offence carrying a fine of up to £5,000, and may result in licence revocation for serious or persistent breaches.
Kitchen, bathroom and amenity standards
- Mandatory licence conditions require the licence holder to comply with any council scheme for storage and disposal of household waste at the HMO pending collection.
Documents you will need
- Gas safety certificate — An annual gas safety certificate must be produced by the licence holder as a mandatory licence condition, and is required as part of the application (per the council's HMO page: 'provide certain information about the property e.g. gas safety certificate, electrical certificate').
- Electrical safety certificate/declaration — Electrical certificate required with the application; licence holders must keep electrical appliances safe and supply safety declarations to the Council on demand.
- HMO Licence application form — Online application form (savable/resumable via an emailed link) required, per the council's HMO page.
- Licence fee payment — Fee is payable as part of the application and is non-refundable if the licence is not granted.
Sources
Compiled from the council’s own published pages and documents; data reviewed September 2026. Rules and fees change, so always confirm with Wealden District Council before applying. This is general information, not legal advice.