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

The fee, from Nottingham’s own page

Table 1 - Licence fees applicable for HMO's, Fees from 1 April 2025: Standard (non-accredited landlords, up to 9 bedrooms): 1st Payment (Part A) £673, 2nd Payment (Part B) £880, Total £1,553. Less compliant tier (non-accredited, up to 9 bedrooms): Part A £673, Part B £1,435, Total £2,108. Accredited (proposed licence holder accredited with e.g. Unipol/ANUK): Part A £673, Part B £495, Total £1,168. Fee-year: 'Fees from 1 April 2025'.

Renewal fee amount not distinctly stated in the extracted section (policy discusses the same two-stage structure but a separate renewal figure wasn't isolated in this pass).

Nottingham’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 Nottingham

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. City-wide ('Nottingham City Council Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing 2024'). Scheme dates: from 2024-01-01. 'Under the Nottingham City Council Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing 2024, which came into force on 1 January 2024, all other non-mandatory licensable HMOs in the city are required to have an HMO Licence where they are occupied by three or more persons living in two or more separate households... but it excludes Section 257 HMOs.' Same Table 1 fee structure applies to both mandatory and additional HMO applications per the policy document. Check the scheme map before letting to three or four sharers.

Selective licensing (all private lets in an area): yes. City-wide ('Nottingham City Council Designation of an Area for Selective Licensing 2023', 'most privately rented homes in the city'). Scheme dates: from 2023-12-01. Fee £918. Table 2 - Individual property licence fees (Selective licensing), Fees from 1 April 2025: Accredited (Nottingham Rental Standard): Part A £279, Part B £454, Total £733. Standard (non-accredited): Part A £279, Part B £639, Total £918. Less-compliant tier: Part A £279, Part B £996, Total £1,275. Block licence fees also apply (base fee £1,813-£3,199 plus per-dwelling fee) -- see source PDF Table 3 for full detail. Inside a selective area every private tenancy needs a licence, HMO or not.

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 Nottingham numbers around an HMO

• How many HMOs: the council estimated 6,200 HMOs in Nottingham, of which 2,832 were mandatory-licensable and 2,712 licences had been issued (LAHS 2024-25, MHCLG) — every council’s figures.
• Rents: the average 4+-bedroom rent in Nottingham is £1,457 a month (ONS, July 2026) against £1,011 across all sizes — rents, prices and yield in Nottingham.
• EPC: 40% 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 Nottingham).
• Council tax: Band D is £2,755 for 2026/27; in an HMO let room by room the landlord is usually the liable person.

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 Nottingham splits its fee, if it does).

Apply or check on Nottingham’s site

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