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Licensing in Cotswold

Cotswold has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

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Licensing, ward by ward

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  • National rules only32

Current ward boundaries from ONS. Some homes are exempt, so check your postcode and the scheme details below.

Selective licensing
None
Additional HMO licensing
No
Article 4 on house shares
None found
Consultation
None open

Licensing schemes

  • Mandatory HMO licence

    In force

    Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Cotswold fees)

    Area

    The whole of Cotswold District (national scheme).

    Fee

    Published standard fee: £1,360

    Council HMO page: Part 1 application fee £245.00; Part 2 licence issue fee for a new licence £1,115.00, invoiced if the application succeeds, plus an additional room fee of £41.50 (7 rooms or more). Renewal: application £245.00 and licence issue fee £1,010.00, plus £21.00 per additional letting room for seven or more rooms (capped at £200.00). The renewal discount does not apply if the renewal is received less than 28 days before expiry, documents are late, there are unnotified structural changes, outstanding enforcement action, a significant hazard, or breaches found at the renewal inspection. A July 2025 cabinet report extended the licence period from three to five years from 1 September 2025. standard_gbp is Part 1 plus Part 2 for a new licence.

    Who needs one
    HMOs occupied by five or more people forming two or more households who share facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom. The council's page adds that purpose-built flats are included where there are up to two flats in the block and one or both are occupied by five or more people in two or more households, including flats above shops; each such flat needs its own licence.
    Exemptions
    Statutory exemptions under Schedule 14 to the Housing Act 2004.
    Apply on the council’s websiteLicence conditions
    How we checked this

    The council's page says 'A HMO licence is valid for a period of five years unless otherwise specified by the authority.' Applications are made online through GOV.UK. A draft ('minded to') licence is issued first and the final licence about 3 weeks later if there are no representations. A public register (dated 21 September 2026) is linked from the HMO page. Cotswold's housing service is delivered by Publica, which also serves Forest of Dean.

    Sources

Article 4 for house shares

We found no Article 4 direction on house shares in Cotswold.

Council source

Civil penalty policy

The council's policy sets how it decides the size of a fine. The version we found has been updated for the Renters' Rights Act.

Cabinet on 10 September 2026 (item 282) resolved to 'Approve the Housing Civil Penalties Policy' (7 for, 0 against); the report says it comes into effect immediately. The approved Annex A, 'Housing Civil Penalties Policy: Civil penalties under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and other housing legislation', version 1.5, approval date September 2026, uses statutory starting points with a 'Landlord Type' adjustment: failure to obtain an HMO licence (s.72(1)) starting point £17,000 (downward £13,600, upward £20,400), statutory maximum £40,000; knowingly permitting over-occupation (s.72(2)) £20,000. It replaces the July 2025 policy (£30,000 maximum, unlicensed HMO starting level £17,500). The council's HMO page still quotes civil penalties 'up to £30,000'.

Cotswold's civil penalty policy

Consultations

We found no consultations when we researched Cotswold.

Not yet confirmed

We could not settle these points when we researched Cotswold. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

  • Not yet confirmed

    No additional or selective licensing scheme, proposal or consultation was found on the council's HMO page (mandatory licensing only), its Cotswold meetings site in web search, or general web searches. The council does not state the absence.

  • Not yet confirmed

    The approved September 2026 policy was found only in the Cabinet papers; the council's landlords page may still link the 2025 policy.

Landlord register

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Cotswold is in South West, where registration is planned from 15 August 2027 to 14 November 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register