South West · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in Bath and North East Somerset
✓ Hand-verified 20 Aug 2026Beyond mandatory HMO licensing, Bath and North East Somerset does not currently operate a selective or additional licensing scheme. Here's the current position.
Required for any HMO let to 5 or more people forming 2+ households who share facilities.
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued.
| Part 1 | £620 |
| Part 2 | £405 |
| Total | £1,025 |
- Renewal £925 (Part 1 £620 + Part 2 £305), taken from the council renewal page
- Missed inspection £50
- £50 discount for a fully complete online application with all documents and email consent
Bath and North East Somerset — bathnes.gov.uk, read 19 Aug 2026
Bath and North East Somerset operates no selective licensing designation under s.80. A council decision record on democracy.bathnes.gov.uk states verbatim: "Selective licensing - on the face of it there is not the evidence to support such a scheme." The council's HMO licence types page presents mandatory HMO licensing as the only live regime and notes the additional scheme finished on 31 December 2023. No s.80 designation or consultation appears on bathnes.gov.uk. Distinguished from Bristol, whose schemes are its own, and from South Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Established 20 Aug 2026.
Bath and North East Somerset operates no additional HMO licensing scheme. The council states on its own HMO licence types page that "The Additional licensing scheme finished on 31 December 2023", and that "Mandatory Licensing covers the whole of Bath and North East Somerset" with mandatory licensed properties not needing an additional licence. So smaller HMOs below the mandatory five-occupant threshold need no licence here, and the discretionary scheme that once caught them has expired rather than been renewed.
Common questions
Does Bath and North East Somerset have a selective licensing scheme?
No. Bath and North East Somerset does not currently operate a selective licensing scheme. Mandatory HMO licensing still applies wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.
Does Bath and North East Somerset have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
No. Bath and North East Somerset does not currently operate an additional HMO licensing scheme. Mandatory HMO licensing still applies wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.
Do I need an HMO licence in Bath and North East Somerset?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Bath and North East Somerset, where a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households who share basic amenities. Smaller shared houses may also need a licence where an additional licensing scheme applies.
- Free landlord compliance check — five questions, no account
- Tenancy agreement checker — findings cited to the Act and section
All property licensing in South West →
Source: Bath and North East Somerset licensing page →
Every landlord in Bath and North East Somerset also needs
A valid Gas Safety certificate (annual), an EICR (every 5 years), a valid EPC, a protected deposit, smoke & CO alarms, the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet, and a current How to Rent guide — plus the new Section 8 possession rules since Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026.
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