# Licensing in West Oxfordshire > West Oxfordshire has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force. - Checked 26 Oct 2026 (researched_at 2026-10-26, verified_at 2026-10-26) - Region: South East - ONS code: E07000181 - Web page: https://lettance.com/councils/west-oxfordshire - API: https://lettance.com/api/v1/councils/west-oxfordshire ## Licensing schemes ### Mandatory HMO licence: Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, West Oxfordshire fees) - Status: In force (`in_force`) - Area: The whole of West Oxfordshire district (national scheme). - Fee: Published standard fee: £1,339. Council HMO page (no page date shown): new licence application fee (Part 1) £242.00 plus licence issue fee (Part 2) £1,097.00 = £1,339, plus an additional room fee of £41.00 for 7 rooms or more. Renewal: application £242.00 plus issue fee £994.00 = £1,236, 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 or a significant hazard or breach is found on inspection. The issue fee 'will depend on the number of rooms, whether it is a new licence or a renewal and the history of regulatory compliance'. The GOV.UK online application states 'There's a £242.00 fee' (the Part 1 fee). - Licence length: 5 years - Who needs one: HMOs 'occupied by five or more people, forming two or more households' where tenants share facilities such as a kitchen or bathrooms (national mandatory test). - Apply: https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-a-licence/house-in-multiple-occupation-licence/west-oxfordshire/apply-1 - Confidence: High - How we checked this: Page states: 'An HMO licence is valid for a period of five years unless otherwise specified by the authority.' The page does not mention additional or selective licensing. It still says the council can issue 'civil penalty notices of up to £30,000 per offence', which predates the September 2026 civil penalties policy. The council publishes a licensed HMO public register PDF. - Sources: https://www.westoxon.gov.uk/housing/private-housing/houses-in-multiple-occupation/, https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-a-licence/house-in-multiple-occupation-licence/west-oxfordshire/apply-1, https://westoxon.gov.uk/media/ozef3xmx/wodc-licensed-hmo-public-register.pdf ## Article 4 for house shares We found no Article 4 direction on house shares in West Oxfordshire. Council source: https://www.westoxon.gov.uk/planning-and-building/article-4-directions/ ## 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. 'Housing Civil Penalties Policy: Civil penalties under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and other housing legislation', version 1.4, approval date September 2026 ('Approved by Executive September 2026'), review September 2029. Executive report for 9 September 2026 recommended approval, renewing a policy first introduced July 2025, and notes the general maximum rising from £30,000 to £40,000 and £7,000 first-breach fines. The policy uses statutory-guidance starting points with 20% landlord-type downward/upward adjustments: failure to obtain an HMO licence (s.72(1)) starting point £17,000 (statutory maximum £40,000), adjusted £13,600 / £17,000 / £20,400; offence-specific aggravating factors are knowledge of licensing requirements and the condition of the unlicensed property. Breaches of HMO licence conditions (s.72(3)) use council-set starting levels by type of condition, with a separate penalty per condition breached. The Executive on 9 September 2026 (item 531, https://meetings.westoxon.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=9068) 'resolved to: 1. Approve the updated Housing Civil Penalties Policy.' The Executive also considered a revised Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy 2026 on 21 October 2026. Policy: https://meetings.westoxon.gov.uk/documents/s18027/Annex%20A%20-%20Housing%20Civil%20Penalties%20Policy%202026%20v1.4%20WODC.pdf ## Consultations We found no consultations when we researched West Oxfordshire. ## Not yet confirmed We could not settle these points when we researched West Oxfordshire on 26 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them. - No selective or additional licensing scheme, proposal or consultation was found; the HMO page covers only mandatory licensing and does not state the absence. Committee-document searches (meetings.westoxon.gov.uk) for "selective licensing" and "additional licensing" return only enforcement and civil penalty policy items, Local Plan and local government reorganisation papers, and 2018 items. - Absence of a C3 to C4 Article 4 direction rests on planning.data.gov.uk permitted-development codes and the council's Article 4 page; the individual pre-2016 direction PDFs were not read. ## Landlord register The national landlord register is separate from licensing. West Oxfordshire is in South East, where registration is planned from 15 March 2027 to 14 June 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register: https://lettance.com/register --- From Lettance: https://lettance.com/councils/west-oxfordshire (catalogue edition 31 October 2026). This is information, not legal advice. Check the linked sources, and the council's own pages, before you act.