Licensing in Derby

• Mandatory HMO licence

  In force

  Mandatory HMO licensing

  Area

  Whole Derby City Council administrative area; excludes neighbouring Derbyshire districts and Derbyshire County Council. Partial inner-city HMO Article4 is a separate planning regime.

  Fee

  Published standard fee: £1,368

  2026/27 new licence up to six bedrooms £1,368: £1,031 on application and £337 at draft-licence stage; add £55 per bedroom above six to second payment. Renewal £1,121 where no significant building/occupancy change: £783 plus £338, with same £55 supplement. Second payment due within 21 days of draft licence or full grant cannot issue. Council FOI 16281 confirms effective 1 April 2026 and no discounts. Older 2024/25 sections remain on the page and are not used. Shorter term costs full processing part plus proportionate running part; later renewal uses the current renewal tariff. Refused fit-and-proper applications charged processing to point of refusal; revoked licence fees not refunded.

  Who needs one

  HMOs occupied by five or more people forming two or more households sharing basic facilities such as kitchen or bathroom, regardless of storeys; subject to statutory exclusions.

  Exemptions

  Current page excludes qualifying local-authority and registered-provider managed properties. Mandatory scope includes qualifying individual flats in converted buildings and purpose-built blocks containing one or two flats. Do not infer every flat or section 257 block needs a licence; the 26 March 2026 FOI lists further statutory building exclusions requiring individual checks.

  Apply on the council’s websiteLicence conditions
  ›How we checked this

  Current council page expressly says no additional HMO or selective licensing; 26 March 2026 FOI 411662818/attachment 16281 confirms mandatory only throughout Derby City. June 2026 amenity guidance fetched; actual issued conditions govern. Normal new term ends no later than five years from valid application; renewal no later than five years after prior expiry. Shorter terms possible for management, history or planning concerns. Renew before expiry. Complete documents, fee, inspection and draft-proposal representations apply; target 90 days can be extended and is not automatic grant. Current pages mix old £30,000 and new £40,000 sanctions; stale paragraphs are not current-law guidance. November 2022 Cabinet report recommended evidence gathering and consultation for potential additional/selective licensing; recommendations are not a final designation. Current mandatory-only guidance/2026 FOI establish current position. No later operative/future designation, defined live consultation or recent expiry found in targeted primary searches; no proposal status invented from historical investigation.

  Sources

  • derby.gov.uk: about
  • derby.gov.uk: application fees
  • secure.derby.gov.uk: download
  • derby.gov.uk: amenities and space guidance for hmos2026 (PDF)
  • derby.gov.uk: Enforcement and Prosecution Policy (PDF)
  • democracy.derby.gov.uk: Document.ashx
  • derby.gov.uk: safer renting hmo
  • derby.gov.uk: hmo planning requirements

Council source

We found no consultations when we researched Derby.

We could not settle these points when we researched Derby on 15 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

• Not yet confirmed

  Obtain current adopted housing-offence civil-penalty policy, matrix and adoption/effective dates. RRA update remains unknown; generic 2018 empty-property policy and mixed sanctions are insufficient.

• Not yet confirmed

  Recover final signed Article 4 confirmation and definitive 2024 boundary plan. Current council page confirms 3 May 2025 and partial scope; fetched consultation notice/map are not final sealed instruments. Exact properties need council map checks.

• Not yet confirmed

  Trace final outcome and later work following November 2022 proposals for licensing evidence/consultation. Current 2026 FOI and page confirm mandatory only; no historical proposal promoted to active consultation or approved scheme. Check any recent expiry if later found.

• Not yet confirmed

  Obtain standalone full current licence conditions and property-specific application requirements. June 2026 amenity guidance and current page establish standards, but issued conditions govern.

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Derby is in East Midlands, where registration is planned from 15 February 2027 to 14 May 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register