Portsmouth City Council Designation for an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2022 (council page names: Additional HMO licence, and Section 257 additional licence)

Status

In force

Runs

1 September 2023 to 31 August 2028

Designated

22 November 2022

Fee

For applications from 1 April 2026, a new licence costs £886 for five years: £222 when you apply and £664 within 14 days of the council's notice that it intends to grant the licence. A two and a half year licence costs £917 and a one year licence £1,229. The council sets the length by its own criteria: a five year licence needs, among other things, proof of accreditation with an approved body, a valid EPC of band E or above and no justified complaints in the last 12 months. Renewals cost £845, £740 or £709. For a converted block of flats (a section 257 licence) add £74 for each flat the licence holder controls.

Applies to

HMOs anywhere in Portsmouth that don't need a mandatory licence. That usually means homes let to three or four people from two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, and also flats in purpose-built blocks of three or more flats shared by three or more people. Converted blocks of flats that don't meet the 1991 Building Regulations need a section 257 licence for the building where most or all of the flats are rented out (the council's pages say two thirds or more), including those with a resident landlord. A building lived in by only two people in two households doesn't need one. Exempt: buildings the law says aren't HMOs, such as those run by the council, a housing association, the police or the NHS, student halls run directly by the University of Portsmouth and an owner's home with up to two lodgers, plus HMOs under a management order or with a temporary exemption.

Our records last verified 18 October 2026 · council designation page · licence conditions