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

The fee, from Coventry’s own page

'Licence fees: Licence Period | Stage 1 fee | Stage 2 fee | Total fee.' Higher Rate New Application (HMO operating unlicensed >12 weeks, 1-year licence): Stage 1 £716, Stage 2 £1,525, Total £2,241. Standard New Application (1-year* licence, e.g. newly acquired/operating HMO): Stage 1 £716, Stage 2 £855, Total £1,571. New application – 2-year licence (eligibility criteria met): Stage 1 £716, Stage 2 £400, Total £1,116. New application – 5-year licence (eligibility criteria met): Stage 1 £716, Stage 2 £228, Total £944. Standard Renewal: Stage 1 £716, Stage 2 £221, Total £937. Also: optional pre-application advisory visit £289 plus VAT (£347); paper application surcharge £42 (+£16 for additional copies).

Note the fee schedule is unusual: a 1-year new application costs MORE (£1,571 total) than a 5-year new application once eligibility criteria are met (£944 total) -- Stage 1 is flat £716 in all cases and Stage 2 varies inversely with licence length once eligible. fee_new_gbp uses the Standard (1-year, most landlords' default) new-application total; fee_renewal_gbp uses the Standard Renewal total. A third-party search summary cited an £840 5-year fee 'as of July 2025' which does not match the £944 5-year new-application total found on the live page -- flagged for reconciliation, not used.

Coventry’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 Coventry

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): yes. Not specified on this page (page references an 'Additional HMO Licence for properties with fewer [than] 5 tenants, or with no shared amenities' using the same fee table). Fee £1,571. Check the scheme map before letting to three or four sharers.

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 Coventry numbers around an HMO

• How many HMOs: the council estimated 6,800 HMOs in Coventry, of which 2,500 were mandatory-licensable and 1,620 licences had been issued (LAHS 2024-25, MHCLG) — every council’s figures.
• Rents: the average 4+-bedroom rent in Coventry is £1,452 a month (ONS, July 2026) against £1,019 across all sizes — rents, prices and yield in Coventry.
• EPC: 37% 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 Coventry).
• Council tax: Band D is £2,517 for 2026/27; in an HMO let room by room the landlord is usually the liable person (council tax in Coventry).

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 Coventry splits its fee, if it does).

Apply or check on Coventry’s site

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