Council licensing in South West
Licensing in Dorset
Dorset has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.
Checked 15 Oct 2026
Check an address in Dorset
We'll match the postcode to its ward and the schemes below.
Licensing, ward by ward
Select a ward to see its name and licensing.
- National rules only52
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
- Not yet confirmed
- Consultation
- None open
Licensing schemes
Mandatory HMO licence
In forceMandatory HMO licensing
- Area
Current Dorset Council area, including former East Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck, West Dorset and Weymouth and Portland. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is a separate authority.
- Fee
Published standard fee: £900
Current council page expressly effective 1 April 2026: first five-year licence £900, renewal £740. Ten percent reduction for landlords committing to Council Landlord Forum or recognised landlord-association standards: £810 new, £666 renewal. No separate payment-stage amounts established. Older 2025/26 committee fees are superseded by the current dated page.
- Who needs one
- HMOs occupied by five or more people forming two or more households and sharing basic amenities, subject to statutory exemptions.
- Exemptions
- Council guidance lists qualifying public-body, registered-social-landlord, educational and religious accommodation, resident-owner households with no more than two lodgers, and buildings regulated under other legislation. This is a simplified guide; confirm the statutory exemption for the particular building.
How we checked this
Council supplies a downloadable application form; online replacement is described as coming soon. Suitability, fit-and-proper holder/manager and management arrangements are assessed. General amenity guidance is not a verified standalone current licence-conditions schedule. Targeted current and committee searches found no operative additional/selective designation, approved future scheme, live consultation or optional scheme ended in the preceding twelve months. This is bounded research, not an express council assurance of absence. Historical Melcombe Regis selective proposals appear in 2018–20 consultation/forward-plan material; no subsequent final designation was recovered, so these old proposals are not presented as active or currently consulted schemes. Generic selective-licensing enforcement powers in the 2026 policy do not establish a designation.
Sources
- dorsetcouncil.gov.uk: mandatory hmo licensing
- dorsetcouncil.gov.uk: houses in multiple occupation hmos
- dorsetcouncil.gov.uk: guide to hmo licensing guidance notes for owners and managers
- dorsetcouncil.gov.uk: houses in multiple occupation amenity standards
- dorsetcouncil.gov.uk: housing standards and tenancy rights enforcement policy may 2026
- moderngov.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk: mgListPlanItems
- dorsetcouncil.gov.uk: 64e50f60 9c6d 04fa f7e9 131d83547039
- dorsetcouncil.gov.uk: weymouth np examiner report 230925 1
Article 4 for house shares
Whether Dorset has an Article 4 direction on house shares.
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.
Current official policy expressly adopted 29 July 2026, addressing RRA2025 and the £7,000/£40,000 tiers. Failure to obtain an HMO licence starts at £17,000, landlord-type adjustments £13,600/£17,000/£20,400 before other factors. The separate Housing Standards and Tenancy Rights Enforcement Policy is effective 1 May 2026, amended 29 July 2026, and distinguishes phased future provisions. No later replacement found. Generic offence powers are not proof of a selective scheme.
Consultations
We found no consultations when we researched Dorset.
Not yet confirmed
We could not settle these points when we researched Dorset on 15 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.
- Not yet confirmed
Obtain express current confirmation of optional-licensing absence across the unitary and the final outcome of the historical Melcombe Regis proposal. Retrieved 2018–20 consultation and forward plans do not establish current applicability or a live consultation.
- Not yet confirmed
Confirm HMO C3-to-C4 Article 4 status against the relevant actual order/map for the address. Generic conservation guidance and neighbourhood-plan commentary cannot establish an authoritative council-wide negative; exists remains null.
- Not yet confirmed
Obtain any current standalone licence-conditions schedule and any payment split or special charges not stated on the dated current fee page. Amenity standards and general licensing guidance were fetched, but are not a complete individual licence.
- Not yet confirmed
Monitor later council decisions for new designations or superseding policies; bounded negative searches cannot certify none exist. Historical Weymouth and Portland material must not be generalised to current Dorset or separate BCP.
Landlord register
The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Dorset 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