South West
HMO licensing in West Devon
West Devon 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 West Devon (checked September 2026). The published licence fee starts at £446.40.
Mandatory licence
5+ people, 2+ households
National scheme
Additional / selective
None in force
Mandatory licensing only
Licence fee
From £446.40
Decision time
Not published
Licensing schemes in West Devon
West Devon 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 £446.40, and £446.40 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.
West Devon's own HMO licensing page states: 'The HMO Licence fee is £446.40. The licence needs to be renewed every five years.' A separate 'Fit and Proper' fee of £144.00 is also listed on the same page and on the council's general Licensing and Environmental Health Fees schedule (under the 'Homes in Multiple Occupation (HMO)' fee table: 'New Applications (new properties/change of ownership) £446.40' and 'Renewals (every 5 years) £446.40', plus 'Fit and Proper £144.00'). It is not stated on either page whether the Fit and Proper fee is charged in addition to, or already bundled within, every application - it is listed as a distinct line item, so totalGbp below reflects the headline licence fee only and the notes flag the extra charge. No accredited-landlord discount and no instalment option are published on either page. The fee is a flat fee (not scaled by bedrooms/occupants).
Check the current fee on the council website (westdevon.gov.uk) before you apply.
Minimum room sizes
| Single bedroom | 6.51 m² (national fallback - Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Mandatory Conditions of Licences) (England) Regulations 2018, SI 2018/616). |
|---|---|
| Double bedroom | 10.22 m² (national fallback, SI 2018/616). |
| Child under 10 | 4.64 m² (national fallback, SI 2018/616). |
| Notes | West Devon Borough Council does not publish council-specific minimum room-size figures. Its HMO licensing page only requires applicants to submit 'a floor plan with all rooms labelled...and the dimensions for each room' without stating minimum thresholds, so the national statutory minimums under SI 2018/616 are used here as an explicit fallback, not a council-specific standard. |
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 assesses fire risk in every HMO as part of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), which applies to all residential premises but treats HMOs as inherently higher risk than single-family homes.
- West Devon's published guidance states occupants of an HMO are significantly more likely to die in a fire than occupants of a single-family house, citing national fire statistics, and that risk increases with occupancy levels, multiple ignition sources, and buildings of three or more storeys.
- A licence will only be granted where the council is satisfied the property meets current housing and fire safety standards, including adequate means of escape and fire precautions, as assessed under the Housing Act 2004 and the Licensing (HMOs and Other Houses) Regulations 2006.
- No property-specific fire door, alarm-grade, or fire-detection standard (e.g. LD1/LD2 grading) is published by West Devon on its website; applicants should expect an HHSRS-based fire risk assessment at inspection rather than a pre-published checklist.
Kitchen, bathroom and amenity standards
- The council states a licence will only be granted if it is satisfied 'the property meets amenity standards, such as an adequate number of bathrooms and cooking facilities' (HMO licensing page), but does not publish a specific numeric ratio (e.g. bathrooms or WCs per number of sharers) on its website.
- The 'Suitability for occupation' guidance confirms the HMO must be 'reasonably suitable for occupation by the number of persons permitted under the licence' under Schedule 2 of the Licensing (HMOs and Other Houses) Regulations 2006, assessed by council inspection rather than a published table.
- No council-specific kitchen size or facilities-per-occupant standard was found; applicants should expect amenity adequacy to be judged against the national HHSRS framework at inspection.
Documents you will need
- Gas safety certificate — Required as part of the HMO licence application, per West Devon's HMO licensing page.
- Electrical condition report — Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) required as part of the application, per West Devon's HMO licensing page.
- Floor plan with room dimensions — A floor plan with all rooms labelled (e.g. bedroom, kitchen) and the dimensions of each room, per West Devon's HMO licensing page.
Sources
Compiled from the council’s own published pages and documents; data reviewed September 2026. Rules and fees change, so always confirm with West Devon Borough Council before applying. This is general information, not legal advice.