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

The fee, from Cambridge’s own page

'The following schedule of fees and discounts applies to all applications due from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. The HMO mandatory licence fee is £1,133. This is reduced to £1,000 if you apply at least eight weeks before your current licence expires. There are two fees to pay: Fee on application: £736, Fee on grant of licence: £397.' Early/renewal discount: 'by submitting a full and complete application at least eight weeks before your current licence expires, the fee on application is reduced to £603' (plus remaining £397 on grant = £1,000 total).

Explicit fee-year window quoted (1 April 2026 - 31 March 2027). fee_renewal_gbp uses the early-application discounted total (£1,000) since the page frames £1,000 as the renewal-friendly rate; the standard £1,133 also applies to any late/first-time application.

Cambridge’s new-licence fee sits below 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 Cambridge

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 — 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 Cambridge numbers around an HMO

• How many HMOs: the council estimated 3,787 HMOs in Cambridge, of which 1,450 were mandatory-licensable and 851 licences had been issued (LAHS 2024-25, MHCLG) — every council’s figures.
• Rents: the average 4+-bedroom rent in Cambridge is £2,659 a month (ONS, July 2026) against £1,806 across all sizes — rents, prices and yield in Cambridge.
• EPC: 34% 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 Cambridge).
• Council tax: Band D is £2,467 for 2026/27; in an HMO let room by room the landlord is usually the liable person (council tax in Cambridge).

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 Cambridge splits its fee, if it does).

Apply or check on Cambridge’s site

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