HMO Licence in Bournemouth: Fee, Who Needs One and How to Apply

The fee, from Bournemouth’s own page

'Standard fee for a new HMO licence: The fee for a new licence is £1,511, split into: Stage 1: £486.50, Stage 2: £1,024.50.' 'Standard fee for a licence renewal: The fee for a renewal is £1,391.50, split into: Stage 1: £399, Stage 2: £992.50.' 'Where there are more than 6 units, we charge an extra £27.50 per unit and this will be charged at the stage 2 fee.'

BCP Council (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) administers a single unitary licensing scheme covering Bournemouth. Third-party search summary cited slightly different figures (£1,384 new / £1,275 renewal 'as of 8 May 2024') which appear to be an older fee year than the £1,511/£1,391.50 found live on 5-Sep-2026 -- used the live page's current numbers.

Bournemouth’s new-licence fee sits above the median of the 34 councils whose fee we could read from their own pages (£1,364). The cheapest verified is Islington at £288 and the dearest Lambeth at £2,530; fee structures differ — some charge per room or in occupancy bands, so a large HMO can cost far more than the headline figure above.

Who needs a licence in Bournemouth

The national rule is the same everywhere in England and Wales — gov.uk: “You must have a licence if you’re renting out a large HMO in England or Wales. Your property is defined as a large HMO if all of the following apply: it is rented to 5 or more people who form more than 1 household; some or all tenants share toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities; at least 1 tenant pays rent (or their employer pays it for them).” … “A licence is valid for a maximum of 5 years. You must renew your licence before it runs out. You need a separate licence for each HMO you run.” Whether a smaller shared house needs a licence depends on whether the council runs an additional or selective scheme:

Additional licensing (smaller HMOs): not confirmed either way on the pages we read (BCP Council area includes Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole as one unitary authority.) — check the council’s licensing pages before letting to fewer than five.

Selective licensing (all private lets in an area): not confirmed either way on the pages we read — check the council’s licensing pages before letting to fewer than five.

Letting a licensable HMO without a licence is an offence; the penalties, rent repayment orders and the fee’s tax treatment are on the HMO licence in England guide.

The Bournemouth numbers around an HMO

• How many HMOs: the council estimated 4,109 HMOs in Bournemouth, of which 1,649 were mandatory-licensable and 1,435 licences had been issued (LAHS 2024-25, MHCLG) — every council’s figures.
• Rents: the average 4+-bedroom rent in Bournemouth is £2,081 a month (ONS, July 2026) against £1,399 across all sizes — rents, prices and yield in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
• EPC: 39% of EPCs lodged here in the last year were below band C, the level a rented home needs by 1 October 2030 (EPC ratings in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole).
• Council tax: Band D is £2,436 for 2026/27; in an HMO let room by room the landlord is usually the liable person (council tax in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole).

How to apply

Applications go to the council, not to a national body. Have the floor plans, gas and electrical certificates, fire-safety details and the manager’s details ready; most councils take a non-refundable first payment on submission and the balance on grant (the quote above shows where Bournemouth splits its fee, if it does).

Apply or check on Bournemouth’s site

All councils compared · Student HMOs and Ground 4A · Renters’ Rights Act rules