Additional HMO licensing · Bristol City Council
Bristol City Council citywide Additional Licensing Designation 2024 (council page name: Additional HMO licensing scheme: Citywide)
- Status
- In force
- Runs
- 6 August 2024 to 5 August 2029
- Designated
- 6 February 2024
- Fee
- £1,861 for a first licence: £1,023 when you apply and £838 before the licence is issued. A renewal costs £1,470 (£808 and £662). 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. If the council finds the HMO unlicensed it adds £140 and no discounts apply. Registered charities that run the property pay no fee but still need a licence.
- Applies to
- HMOs across Bristol that don't need a mandatory licence, usually homes shared by three or four people from two or more households. HMOs that need a licence under the Bedminster, Brislington West and Horfield ward scheme are licensed under that scheme instead. Excluded: converted blocks of flats (section 257 HMOs) and student accommodation run under an approved code of practice, such as larger private student blocks.
Our records last verified 18 October 2026 · council designation page · licence conditions
Area covered
The scheme covers the whole of Bristol City Council. Every privately rented property in the borough that meets the scheme’s criteria needs a licence, wherever it is.
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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