Additional HMO licensing · City of York Council
City of York Council Additional Licensing of HMOs Scheme (designation: THE CITY OF YORK COUNCIL DESIGNATION OF AN AREA FOR ADDITIONAL LICENSING OF HOUSES IN MULTIPLE OCCUPATION, SECTION 56, HOUSING ACT 2004)
- Status
- In force
- Runs
- 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2028
- Designated
- 17 August 2022
- Fee
- £1,524 for an HMO with three to six people, for applications from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027: £914 once your complete application has been accepted and £610 when the council has decided to grant the licence. The second payment is £75 less if the licence holder has a relevant HMO qualification. Renewals cost the same as a new licence, and fees go up each year on 1 April. The council can charge extra, at its hourly enforcement rate, if it has to do more work than usual, such as tracking down an HMO that hasn't applied.
- Applies to
- HMOs in eight York wards (Clifton, Fishergate, Fulford and Heslington, Guildhall, Heworth, Hull Road, Micklegate, and Osbaldwick and Derwent) let to three or four people from two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, flats included. Homes let to students and migrant workers count as their main home. HMOs with five or more people usually need a mandatory licence instead. Exempt: buildings converted entirely into self-contained flats (though a flat let as an HMO may need its own licence), purpose-built student accommodation run under a national approved code of practice, and buildings the law says aren't HMOs, such as those run by the council, a housing association, the police, fire service or NHS, and an owner's home with up to two lodgers.
Our records last verified 18 October 2026 · council designation page
Area covered
The designation covers these wards, as they were drawn when the scheme was made:
- Clifton
- Fishergate
- Fulford & Heslington
- Guildhall
- Heworth
- Hull Road
- Micklegate
- Osbaldwick & Derwent
City of York 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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