# Licensing in Gloucester > Gloucester has additional HMO licensing across the whole council area. - Checked 26 Oct 2026 (researched_at 2026-10-26, verified_at 2026-10-26) - Region: South West - ONS code: E07000081 - Web page: https://lettance.com/councils/gloucester - API: https://lettance.com/api/v1/councils/gloucester ## Licensing schemes ### Additional HMO licence: The Gloucester City Council Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2026 — section 254 HMOs - Status: In force (`in_force`) - Area: The entire area of Gloucester City Council. The notice says 'the designation is citywide and includes all wards within the district of Gloucester City Council.' - Runs: 21 September 2026 to 19 September 2031. The council notice says it ceases to have effect on 20 September 2031 - Fee: Published standard fee: £1,260, early application: £1,060. Fees page (last reviewed 22/09/2026, effective 1 April 2026): new licence £1,260; renewal £900. A reduced application fee of £1,060 applies only to properties that need a licence because of the additional licensing designation (not mandatory) where the application is received before 21 October 2026; that window has now closed. Fees are paid in full online with the application and are non-refundable. The council's 15 July 2026 news release instead described the early-bird discount as applying to additional licence applications received before 21 September 2026; the current fees page (last reviewed 22/09/2026) gives 21 October 2026. Either window has now passed. - Licence length: 5 years - Who needs one: HMOs occupied by 3 or more people forming 2 or more households under section 254 that are not already subject to mandatory licensing (in practice, 3 or 4 occupiers). Section 257 converted blocks are a separate record under the same designation. - Exemptions: The notice excludes HMOs subject to mandatory licensing, HMOs under an Interim or Final Management Order, HMOs with a temporary exemption notice, buildings that are not HMOs under Schedule 14 to the Act, and any other property exempt under the Act. - Apply: https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/housing/housing-and-multiple-occupancy-hmo/hmo-licensing-application-and-fees/ - Licence conditions: https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/media/ikrfoxhf/houses-in-multiple-occupation-a-guide-for-landlords-managers-and-tenants-june-2026.pdf - Council's map or designation: https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/media/tm2dsavb/appendix-1-the-gloucester-city-council-designation-of-an-area-for-addititional-licensing-of-houses-in-multiple-occupation-2026.pdf - Confidence: High - How we checked this: Designation notice wording: 'This designation was made on 09 June 2026. This designation shall come into force on 21 September 2026. This designation shall cease to have effect on 20 September 2031, being not more than five years from the date on which it comes into force, unless it is revoked earlier.' Made under the 2024 General Approval, so no Secretary of State confirmation was needed. Consultation ran 2 March to 11 May 2026. Operating an unlicensed licensable HMO is an offence under section 72. - Sources: https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/media/tm2dsavb/appendix-1-the-gloucester-city-council-designation-of-an-area-for-addititional-licensing-of-houses-in-multiple-occupation-2026.pdf, https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/housing/housing-and-multiple-occupancy-hmo/hmo-licensing-information/, https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/housing/housing-and-multiple-occupancy-hmo/hmo-licensing-application-and-fees/, https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/news/2026-news/gloucester-cracks-down-on-poorly-managed-hmos-to-protect-neighbourhoods/ ### Additional HMO licence: The Gloucester City Council Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2026 — section 257 converted blocks - Status: In force (`in_force`) - Area: The entire area of Gloucester City Council. The notice says 'the designation is citywide and includes all wards within the district of Gloucester City Council.' - Runs: 21 September 2026 to 19 September 2031. The council notice says it ceases to have effect on 20 September 2031 - Fee: Published standard fee: £1,260, early application: £1,060. Fees page (last reviewed 22/09/2026, effective 1 April 2026): new licence £1,260; renewal £900. A reduced application fee of £1,060 applies only to properties that need a licence because of the additional licensing designation (not mandatory) where the application is received before 21 October 2026; that window has now closed. Fees are paid in full online with the application and are non-refundable. The council's 15 July 2026 news release instead described the early-bird discount as applying to additional licence applications received before 21 September 2026; the current fees page (last reviewed 22/09/2026) gives 21 October 2026. Either window has now passed. - Licence length: 5 years - Who needs one: Section 257 converted blocks: buildings converted into self-contained flats whose conversion did not comply, and still does not comply, with the appropriate building standards defined in Housing Act 2004 section 257(3). Which standards apply turns on when the building work was completed (before or after 1 June 1992), whether it was dealt with by regulation 20 of the Building Regulations 1991, and whether it would have been exempt under those Regulations; this record does not restate that test. The scheme covers those blocks where less than two-thirds of the flats are owner-occupied (the designation notice and section 257(2)(b)), unless exempt. The licence is for the block, not each individual flat. - Check the property: The council must assess whether the conversion met the appropriate building standards in Housing Act 2004 section 257(3), which depend on the completion date, regulation 20 of the Building Regulations 1991 and any exemption under those Regulations, and whether less than two-thirds of the flats are owner-occupied (the designation notice and section 257(2)(b)). The postcode and household inputs do not establish either test. - Exemptions: The notice excludes HMOs subject to mandatory licensing, HMOs under an Interim or Final Management Order, HMOs with a temporary exemption notice, buildings that are not HMOs under Schedule 14 to the Act, and any other property exempt under the Act. - Apply: https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/housing/housing-and-multiple-occupancy-hmo/hmo-licensing-application-and-fees/ - Licence conditions: https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/media/ikrfoxhf/houses-in-multiple-occupation-a-guide-for-landlords-managers-and-tenants-june-2026.pdf - Council's map or designation: https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/media/tm2dsavb/appendix-1-the-gloucester-city-council-designation-of-an-area-for-addititional-licensing-of-houses-in-multiple-occupation-2026.pdf - Confidence: High - How we checked this: Designation notice wording: 'This designation was made on 09 June 2026. This designation shall come into force on 21 September 2026. This designation shall cease to have effect on 20 September 2031, being not more than five years from the date on which it comes into force, unless it is revoked earlier.' Made under the 2024 General Approval, so no Secretary of State confirmation was needed. Consultation ran 2 March to 11 May 2026. Operating an unlicensed licensable HMO is an offence under section 72. - Sources: https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/media/tm2dsavb/appendix-1-the-gloucester-city-council-designation-of-an-area-for-addititional-licensing-of-houses-in-multiple-occupation-2026.pdf, https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/housing/housing-and-multiple-occupancy-hmo/hmo-licensing-information/, https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/housing/housing-and-multiple-occupancy-hmo/hmo-licensing-application-and-fees/, https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/news/2026-news/gloucester-cracks-down-on-poorly-managed-hmos-to-protect-neighbourhoods/, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/34/section/257 ### Mandatory HMO licence: Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Gloucester fees) - Status: In force (`in_force`) - Area: The whole of Gloucester City Council's area (national scheme). - Fee: Published standard fee: £1,260. The council's 'HMO licensing application and fees' page (last reviewed 22/09/2026) lists, effective 1 April 2026, a new licence of up to 5 years at £1,260 and a renewal at £900. Fees are paid in full with the online application, cannot be paid in instalments and are non-refundable. Extra charges apply only where the council takes enforcement action. The same fee table covers mandatory and additional licences. - Licence length: 5 years - Who needs one: HMOs occupied by five or more people forming two or more households who share basic amenities (national test). - Exemptions: Statutory exemptions under Schedule 14 to the Housing Act 2004. - Apply: https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/housing/housing-and-multiple-occupancy-hmo/hmo-licensing-application-and-fees/ - Licence conditions: https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/media/ikrfoxhf/houses-in-multiple-occupation-a-guide-for-landlords-managers-and-tenants-june-2026.pdf - Confidence: High - How we checked this: Applications are made online through the council's Idox portal. Licences last up to 5 years, are not transferable and end when the property is sold. The council publishes an HMO register (July 2026 spreadsheet linked from the HMO licensing information page). - Sources: https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/housing/housing-and-multiple-occupancy-hmo/hmo-licensing-application-and-fees/, https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/housing/housing-and-multiple-occupancy-hmo/hmo-licensing-information/ ## Article 4 for house shares Gloucester has an Article 4 direction on HMOs (shared houses). Turning a family home into a shared house may need planning permission. - Area: Specific areas: the wards of Kingsholm and Wotton, Elmbridge, Westgate, Barton and Tredworth, Moreland and Kingsway (the confirmation notice's heading misspells Elmbridge as 'Elmridge'; its map in Annex A defines the area). 'The Gloucester City Council Non-Immediate Article 4 Direction 2026' removes Class L(b) C3 to C4 permitted development rights. Made 2 March 2026, confirmed 9 June 2026, and NOT YET IN FORCE: it comes into force on 3 March 2027. Until then a change of use to a small HMO does not need planning permission but does need an additional licence. - Takes effect: 3 March 2027 Council source: https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/media/v2vcktqh/appendix-2-confirmation-notice-of-the-glocuester-city-council-non-immediate-article-4-direction-2026.pdf ## Civil penalty policy The council's policy sets how it decides the size of a fine. The Enforcement and Regulation Policy (April 2026) lists 'Appendix 3 - Civil Penalties Policy – Statement of Principles 2026' and an Appendix 9 statement on housing enforcement and the Renters' Rights Act 2025. The council's HMO licensing information page (last reviewed 23/09/2026) states 'a maximum fine of £40,000 for a Civil Penalty'. The 2026 Appendix 3 itself was not found: the council's Civil Penalty Notices page still links the December 2024 revision and still quotes £30,000. That December 2024 statement sets a £30,000 maximum with no minimum and treats failure to license an HMO as 'Very Serious' with a £17,500 starting level, reduced by £5,000 to £12,500 or increased by £5,000 to £22,500 depending on the landlord's circumstances. Policy: https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/media/jc1oraxu/appendix-3-civil-penalties-policy-statement-of-principles-revised-december-2024.pdf ## Consultations - [Additional HMO licensing and non-immediate Article 4 Direction consultation (2 March to 11 May 2026; outcome recorded in the designation notice)](https://www.gloucester.gov.uk/media/tm2dsavb/appendix-1-the-gloucester-city-council-designation-of-an-area-for-addititional-licensing-of-houses-in-multiple-occupation-2026.pdf): Approved. Closed 11 May 2026. ## Not yet confirmed We could not settle these points when we researched Gloucester on 26 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them. - The 2026 Civil Penalties Policy Statement of Principles (Appendix 3 to the April 2026 Enforcement and Regulation Policy) was not located; the council still publishes the December 2024 statement (£30,000 maximum), so penalty bands under the Renters' Rights Act maximums are unconfirmed. - No selective licensing scheme or proposal was found on the council HMO pages, the 2026 consultation pages or in web searches; the council does not state its absence. - The original consultation page (have-your-say/additional-hmo-licensing-consultation) now returns 404; consultation dates are taken from the designation notice. ## Landlord register The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Gloucester 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: https://lettance.com/register --- From Lettance: https://lettance.com/councils/gloucester (catalogue edition 31 October 2026). This is information, not legal advice. Check the linked sources, and the council's own pages, before you act.