HMO licensing FAQs

Licence Fees

1.    Why have licence fees increased?
Our previous licence fee structure has been in place since 2018 and has not been reviewed or changed since that time. Following a review of the process the current fees more accurately reflect the costs involved in processing and administering the licensing scheme. This reflects both first time applicants and licence renewals.

2.    Why are payments split into two parts?
The payments are split into two parts as you are only charged for the costs associated with the application at Part 1. Once a decision has been made to issue the licence the Part 2 fee is payable to complete the application process. This cost reflects the processing and administering of the scheme. If we refuse to issue a licence then the Part 2 fee does not become payable.

3.    Why is the council invoicing me rather than allowing me to make an online payment?
Due to changes being made to the wider council back-office systems we are unable to take payments online. Therefore we will have to invoice you when the payment of fees becomes due.

Licence Duration

4.    Why is there no longer an option for one, three or five year licences?
We have changed our charging process to base the fee on the size of HMO requiring to be licensed.

Application Process

5.    Why has the licence application form changed?
The licence application form has been reviewed to ensure we are asking the right questions and to get the best understanding of the property before conducting a licensing inspection. We have provided more clarity over the questions we are asking and given guidance as to what certain phrases mean. This is to enable the applicant to complete the form as accurately as possible.

6.    Why is the application form split into three parts?
Due to changes being made to the wider council back-office system we are unable to collate this information all onto one form. Once the new system is in place the aim is to amalgamate the form onto one document so applicants only need to submit one form (although all the same information will be required).

7.    Why can I no longer upload documents?
Due to changes being made to the wider council back-office system we do not have the functionality to allow you to upload documents within the application form. This is why we are requesting they are emailed separately.

Note

The new licence fee charges do not include costs related to the updated council system referred to above. This is a separately funded project which spans beyond the Housing Improvement and Compliance Team.