Additional HMO licensing · Bristol City Council
Bristol City Council Additional Licensing Designation 2022: Bedminster, Brislington West and Horfield wards (council page names: Additional HMO licensing scheme: Bedminster and Brislington West wards; Additional HMO licensing scheme: Horfield ward)
- Status
- In force
- Runs
- 6 April 2022 to 5 April 2027
- Designated
- 14 December 2021
- Fee
- £1,300 for a five-year licence: £1,000 when you apply and £300 before the licence is issued. The second payment drops by £150 if you're an accredited member of Rent with Confidence, and by another £150 if you send a satisfactory gas safety record, electrical report and EPC before the licence is issued. You can instead get £150 back if you send them within three months of the licence being issued. If the council finds the HMO unlicensed it adds £100 and no discounts apply. Registered charities that run the property pay no fee but still need a licence.
- Applies to
- HMOs in Bedminster, Brislington West and Horfield wards that don't need a mandatory licence, usually homes shared by three or four people from two or more households. Converted blocks of flats (section 257 HMOs) are excluded. The scheme ends on 5 April 2027.
Our records last verified 18 October 2026 · council designation page · licence conditions
Area covered
The designation covers these wards, as they were drawn when the scheme was made:
- Bedminster
- Brislington West
- Horfield
Bristol City Council also runs its own address-level lookup: check whether a specific address falls inside the scheme.
What this means for landlords
Additional HMO licensing extends licensing to shared homes below the national 5-person mandatory threshold. If your property in this area houses unrelated sharers, check the scheme’s occupancy criteria. Running a licensable HMO without a licence carries the same penalties as any licensing offence: a civil penalty of up to £40,000 and a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent.
Is your property inside the scheme area?
This checker reflects HouseFile’s records of council licensing designations, not the councils’ live registers. Our records indicate the position at the verification date shown on each result. Schemes are designated, renewed and revoked throughout the year, and postcode-level lookups are approximate near scheme boundaries. Always confirm with the council before letting or buying a property, using the source link on each card. This is general information, not legal advice.
If you hold a licence here, HouseFile can track its renewal date
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