South West · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole
✓ Hand-verified 18 Aug 2026Beyond mandatory HMO licensing, Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole 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.
Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole, read 19 August 2026
Evidenced negative (first-party research 17 Aug 2026): BCP Cabinet approved a 12-week Discretionary Licensing consultation which ran 13 Jan to 6 April 2020 (extended to 20 July 2020), proposing a selective scheme over an area containing 12,148 properties. NO DESIGNATION FOLLOWED. Current council HMO pages describe mandatory licensing only, and the Housing Strategy Delivery Plan references thousands of non-mandatory HMOs remaining outside any licensing scheme. Caveat: a verbatim Cabinet decision not to proceed was not located on the council domain, so this rests on the current pages plus the strategy document.
Evidenced negative (17 Aug 2026): the same 2019-2020 consultation also proposed an additional HMO scheme for properties with three or four occupants from two or more households; it was not designated. Current page states "You must have a licence if you are renting out a large HMO to 5 or more people in England" - mandatory only. Fee: new GBP 1,511 (stage 1 GBP 486.50 + stage 2 GBP 1,024.50); renewal GBP 1,391.50; extra GBP 27.50 per unit above 6; 20 percent accreditation discount.
Common questions
Does Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole have a selective licensing scheme?
No. Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole 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 Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
No. Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole 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 Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole, 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: Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole licensing page →
Every landlord in Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole 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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