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Licensing in Stroud

Stroud has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

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Check an address in Stroud

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 only27

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 force

    Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Stroud fees)

    Area

    The whole of Stroud District (national scheme).

    Fee

    Published standard fee: £1,398

    Council HMO page: 'The mandatory HMO licensing fee is £1398 for a 5 year licence per property.' Paid in two parts: an initial non-refundable £403 with the application, and the remaining £995 before the licence is issued if approved. A second council URL indexed by search quoted £1,380 (£397 + £983), apparently an earlier figure; the live page fetched shows £1,398.

    Who needs one
    HMOs with five or more tenants forming two or more households who share facilities (national test). The council's 2026 enforcement policy says 'The Council currently only issues licenses for national mandatory licensing, where 5 or more tenants' occupy.
    Exemptions
    Statutory exemptions under Schedule 14 to the Housing Act 2004.
    Apply on the council’s websiteLicence conditions
    How we checked this

    Apply online through GOV.UK or by emailing/posting the Word form to Environmental Health, Ebley Mill. Applications are processed within 8 weeks. The enforcement policy says licences are issued for 5 years once fully validated, but may be reduced (usually to 12 months) where there are doubts about the manager or licence holder, with no fee reduction. The council publishes an HMO licensing register.

    Sources

Article 4 for house shares

Not yet confirmed

Whether Stroud has an Article 4 direction on house shares.

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.

The council's Information for private landlords page lists its adopted policies, including 'Civil Penalties Under The Renters' Rights Act' and the Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy (Version 2, April 2026, agreed under delegated authority from Housing Committee). The civil penalty policy follows the 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. The enforcement policy's summary still mentions 'Civil penalties of up to £30,00[0] for specific offences'.

Stroud's civil penalty policy

Consultations

We found no consultations when we researched Stroud.

Not yet confirmed

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

  • Not yet confirmed

    Absence of additional or selective licensing rests on the April 2026 enforcement policy statement that the council 'currently only issues licenses for national mandatory licensing' and on web searches; no later proposal was found.

  • Not yet confirmed

    Absence of an HMO Article 4 direction rests on the council's conservation-area Article 4 page and the empty planning.data.gov.uk record; the council does not state it expressly.

Landlord register

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Stroud 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