Additional HMO licensing · Woking Borough Council
Woking Borough Council Designation for an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2025
- Status
- In force
- Runs
- 5 January 2026 to 4 January 2031
- Designated
- 29 September 2025
- Fee
- A new licence costs £700 plus £10 for each room let as a bedroom, paid when you apply, then £130 once the council approves it. For a two-bedroom home let to three people that is £850 in all, and £870 for four bedrooms. A renewal costs £500 plus £10 a bedroom, then £130. A licence usually lasts up to three years. Accredited landlords who own the property and hold the licence get £100 off the first payment, and charities and not-for-profit groups £200.
- Applies to
- HMOs anywhere in Woking that don't need a mandatory licence, usually homes or flats let to three or four people from two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. A landlord living in the home with three or more lodgers needs one too. Hostels run by charities and domestic abuse refuges are included. Exempt: buildings the law says aren't HMOs, HMOs under a management order or with a temporary exemption, and a landlord living at home with two lodgers.
Our records last verified 18 October 2026 · council designation page · licence conditions
Area covered
The scheme covers the whole of Woking Borough 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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