Additional HMO licensing · Gloucester City Council
The Gloucester City Council Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2026
- Status
- In force
- Runs
- 21 September 2026 to 20 September 2031
- Designated
- 9 June 2026
- Fee
- £1,260 for a new licence of up to five years, paid in full when you apply. A renewal costs £900. If your HMO needs a licence only because of the new scheme, a new application costs £1,060 when the council receives it before 21 October 2026. The council gives a shorter licence of one or three years to landlords who apply late or after a warning letter, and they pay again to renew. Fees are reviewed each year.
- Applies to
- HMOs anywhere in Gloucester that don't need a mandatory licence, usually homes let to three or four people from two or more households. Also converted blocks of flats that didn't meet the building regulations in force when they were converted and still don't, where less than two thirds of the flats are owner-occupied (section 257 HMOs). Exempt: buildings the law says aren't HMOs, HMOs under a management order or with a temporary exemption notice, and other properties exempt under the Act. You need a separate licence for each HMO.
Our records last verified 18 October 2026 · council designation page
Area covered
The scheme covers the whole of Gloucester City Council. Every privately rented property in the borough that meets the scheme’s criteria needs a licence, wherever it is.
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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