Licensing in York

• Additional HMO licence

  In force

  City of York Council Additional Licensing of HMOs Scheme 2023

  Area

  The whole of eight electoral wards: Clifton, Fishergate, Fulford & Heslington, Guildhall, Heworth, Hull Road, Micklegate and Osbaldwick & Derwent. These whole-ward boundaries are stated in the 2022 designation and repeated in current council guidance; the designated map was inspected. This is not the whole council district or the separate main-urban-area Article 4 boundary.

  8 wards named in the scheme:

  • Clifton
  • Fishergate
  • Fulford & Heslington
  • Guildhall
  • Heworth
  • Hull Road
  • Micklegate
  • Osbaldwick & Derwent

  Ward boundaries: Current wards as at 15 October 2026 (2015 electoral arrangements; 2022 designation)

  Runs

  1 April 2023 to 30 March 2028

  Fee

  Published standard fee: £1,524

  Current 2026/27 tariff shared by mandatory and additional HMO licensing: three to six occupants £1,524 (£914 first stage + £610 second stage); seven to nine £1,779 (£1,067 + £712); ten to fourteen £1,944 (£1,166 + £778); fifteen or more £2,186 (£1,312 + £874). Renewal fees are the same as full fees. A relevant HMO qualification/recognised training gives £75 off the second stage; this is not an early-bird offer. The first payment is requested once the application is assessed as complete and must then be paid immediately; the second is due when the council decides to grant. Published fees are VAT-exempt and reviewed each 1 April. Extra administration may be charged at the hourly enforcement rate for bringing unregistered HMOs into licensing where formal enforcement is not taken; no hourly amount is published on this page.

  Who needs one

  Shared HMOs with three or four occupiers forming two or more households, used as their only or main residence, irrespective of storeys, in the eight designated wards. The signed designation and public notice more broadly say all HMOs not subject to mandatory licensing, subject to their stated exemptions; confirm atypical non-mandatory flat arrangements with the council rather than assuming the current three/four-person summary resolves every building type.

  Exemptions

  Mandatory-licensable HMOs and statutory exclusions. The designation expressly excludes whole buildings converted entirely into self-contained flats (section 257 HMOs), although individual flats may be licensable in their own right. It also excludes purpose-built student accommodation only where both the managing organisation and the building are subject to a nationally approved code of practice.

  Apply on the council’s websiteLicence conditionsCouncil's map or designation
  ›How we checked this

  Executive approved the eight-ward designation on 28 July 2022 and the signed designation was made on 17 August 2022. It starts 1 April 2023 and says it shall cease to have effect on 31 March 2028; the recorded final operative day is therefore 30 March 2028. The instrument also describes a five-year scheme, so confirm the endpoint before relying on the final-day calculation. Whole wards are expressly designated; current council names and the current ONS ward list match, including the two ampersand names. Annex A and its whole-ward hatching were visually inspected. Section 257 blocks are excluded, not added as another licensing class. The designation/public notice’s all-non-mandatory-HMO wording is broader than the three/four-person summary in current guidance and the Executive resolution; confirm its application to an atypical five-plus-person flat outside the prescribed mandatory description. Ordinary three/four-person shared-HMO coverage is clear. Five years is a maximum individual licence term, not an assurance that every licence or renewal will extend beyond the designation. The 2023 briefing describes inspections during the licence term and support before enforcement; current enforcement must be read against the 2026 policy. No current defined renewal/expansion consultation, approved successor, revocation or recently expired separate optional scheme was established by targeted council searches. No selective-licensing designation was recovered; this additional scheme must not be applied to ordinary single-household lettings. Boundary continuity is supported by the current LGBCE review history: the preceding electoral arrangements were made in December 2014 and took effect in May 2015; the new final recommendations published on 29 September 2026 are not yet law and are scheduled for elections from 6 May 2027. The eight whole wards designated in 2022 therefore remain current at this research date. Reassess geographic matching before the 2027 changes take effect; a ward change does not itself redraw the housing designation.

  Sources

  • york.gov.uk: HMOLicensing
  • york.gov.uk: designation of an area for hmo additional licensing 17th august
  • york.gov.uk: public notice designation of an area for hmo additional licensing
  • democracy.york.gov.uk: ieIssueDetails
  • york.gov.uk: additional licensing scheme electoral wards
  • york.gov.uk: hmo licensing fees
  • york.gov.uk: ApplyForHMOLicence
  • york.gov.uk: renew hmo licence
  • democracy.york.gov.uk: Appendix 5 HMO licensing Standards and Conditions (PDF)
  • york.gov.uk: AdditionalHMOLicensingLandlordsBriefing
  • lgbce.org.uk: york
  • lgbce.org.uk: new political map city york council

• Mandatory HMO licence

  In force

  Mandatory HMO licensing

  Area

  Whole City of York Council district, including wards outside the additional-licensing area; not North Yorkshire Council.

  Fee

  Published standard fee: £1,524

  Current 2026/27 tariff shared by mandatory and additional HMO licensing: three to six occupants £1,524 (£914 first stage + £610 second stage); seven to nine £1,779 (£1,067 + £712); ten to fourteen £1,944 (£1,166 + £778); fifteen or more £2,186 (£1,312 + £874). Renewal fees are the same as full fees. A relevant HMO qualification/recognised training gives £75 off the second stage; this is not an early-bird offer. The first payment is requested once the application is assessed as complete and must then be paid immediately; the second is due when the council decides to grant. Published fees are VAT-exempt and reviewed each 1 April. Extra administration may be charged at the hourly enforcement rate for bringing unregistered HMOs into licensing where formal enforcement is not taken; no hourly amount is published on this page.

  Who needs one

  HMOs occupied as the only or main residence by five or more people forming two or more households and sharing facilities such as kitchens, bathrooms or toilets, subject to statutory building and occupation exclusions. Student and migrant-worker homes count as main residences.

  Exemptions

  Statutory HMO exclusions apply, including qualifying public-body or educational management, certain student halls, religious communities and owner occupation with no more than two lodgers. Buildings converted into self-contained flats and individual flats need separate assessment; do not apply a shared-house headcount to a whole converted block.

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

  Current guidance confirms mandatory licensing throughout York and a separate eight-ward additional scheme. The renewal page says licences last up to five years and may be shorter; the term on an issued licence governs. Submit a complete renewal before expiry and request the renewal portal from HMO Licensing. Applications need the correct fee, gas/electrical/EPC/fire-risk/appliance documents and a plan showing rooms, sizes, windows and doors. The Executive adopted amended HMO Licensing Policy 2020 standards and conditions on 28 July 2022; the linked implementation policy also describes recognised training, normally within eighteen months of issue, and fit-and-proper management. Obtain the applicable issued conditions. Older web text about penalties, rent repayment and section 21 remains in some application/renewal pages; it is not used as current law. The current post-1 May 2026 penalty policy is separately identified below. Licensing and planning permission are separate requirements.

  Sources

  • york.gov.uk: HMOLicensing
  • york.gov.uk: hmo licensing fees
  • york.gov.uk: ApplyForHMOLicence
  • york.gov.uk: renew hmo licence
  • york.gov.uk: hmo licensing application form guidance notes
  • york.gov.uk: hmo local implementation policy
  • democracy.york.gov.uk: Appendix 5 HMO licensing Standards and Conditions (PDF)
  • democracy.york.gov.uk: ieIssueDetails

Council source

York's civil penalty policy

We found no consultations when we researched York.

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

• Not yet confirmed

  Confirm the exact final operative day of the additional scheme before its 2028 endpoint: the signed designation and public notice say cease to have effect on 31 March 2028 while also describing five years from 1 April 2023. The recorded last day follows the exclusive cease wording.

• Not yet confirmed

  Clarify the signed designation/public notice’s all-non-mandatory-HMO wording against the three/four-person wording in current guidance and the Executive resolution, particularly for atypical multiply occupied flats with five or more occupants that fall outside mandatory licensing. Do not reclassify excluded section 257 blocks as licensed.

• Not yet confirmed

  Obtain the current property-specific issued licence conditions and any delegated changes since the amended policy was adopted on 28 July 2022. Confirm shorter licence terms and the treatment of licences approaching the designation endpoint.

• Not yet confirmed

  Confirm the hourly enforcement charge for additional application administration and the exact accepted training qualifications for the £75 second-stage reduction. The current fee page states the discount but does not give an hourly rate.

• Not yet confirmed

  Check the exact property against the Article 4 legal plan; its urban-area boundary differs from whole-ward additional licensing and does not cover the entire council district.

• Not yet confirmed

  Confirm any later selective designation or additional-scheme renewal/expansion proposal directly with the council. No made successor, defined live housing-licensing consultation or recently ended separate optional scheme was established in this primary-source search.

• Not yet confirmed

  Reassess the 2022 additional-licensing geography before the new electoral arrangements scheduled for 6 May 2027. The September 2026 LGBCE recommendations are not current wards; preserve the designation boundary rather than automatically substituting future ward names.

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. York is in Yorkshire and The Humber, where registration is planned from 15 April 2027 to 14 July 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register