Landlord licensing in Oxford

Required for any HMO let to 5 or more people forming 2+ households who share facilities.

Fee: £1,100

SCHEME OVERVIEW: Oxford City Council operates a CITYWIDE Selective Licensing scheme that came into force on 1 September 2022 and runs until 31 August 2027 (midnight) — 5-year designation. This was Oxford's FIRST selective licensing scheme. Approved by the Secretary of State following a 2020 consultation (source: oxford.gov.uk/selective-licensing/selective-licensing-fees-charges and oxford.gov.uk/selective-licensing-scheme-progress-reports — official Oxford City Council selective licensing pages and Year 1 progress report). LEGAL BASIS: Designation under section 80 of the Housing Act 2004. Approved by the Secretary of State (the consultation took place when SoS approval was still required for schemes covering more than 20% of the geographical area). COVERAGE: The WHOLE CITY of Oxford. Combined with the citywide Additional HMO Licensing scheme, this means EVERY privately rented property in Oxford requires a property licence (mandatory HMO, additional HMO, or selective) unless statutorily exempt. WHO NEEDS A SELECTIVE LICENCE: All privately rented properties within Oxford that are NOT a House in Multiple Occupation. Any privately rented property occupied by a single household or up to 2 unrelated sharers. The selective scheme estimated 26,108 family homes in scope (the remainder of the ~30,508 PRS properties after 4,400 HMOs are accounted for). FEES: Up to £1,640 maximum (verify exact current fees by 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 schedule on oxford.gov.uk/selective-licensing/selective-licensing-fees-charges). Two-stage fees: Stage 1 covers application processing; Stage 2 covers inspection, ongoing scheme, and enforcement costs. Applications can ONLY be paid by card. Card must be pre-authorisable up to £1,640 (the maximum fee). NO payment plans or instalments. Selective Licence applications can only be submitted up to 4 weeks before the tenancy start date. DISCOUNTS: Discount of £280 for accredited landlords (LLAS, NRLA etc) — applied to Stage 2 fee where the property is fully managed by the accredited person/company. Accreditation must be obtained and held throughout the duration of the licence and all certificates must be valid and submitted with the application. HIGHER RATE FEE: The HIGHER RATE application fee is the DEFAULT fee charged unless the applicant submits evidence the property only became licensable within 12 weeks of the application date. The onus is on the applicant to provide this evidence with the original application. LICENCE CONDITIONS: 23 conditions per licence. Cover gas safety (annual certificate), electrical safety (5-year EICR), furniture safety, smoke alarms (provision and maintenance), supplying occupants with written terms of occupancy, anti-social behaviour management, fit and proper person test for licence holder. NOTE: Conditions on selective licences are LIMITED by Court of Appeal ruling Brown v Hyndburn Borough Council — "management" relates to operational matters only, NOT to improving/upgrading houses or installing new facilities/equipment. Improvements are dealt with under Part 1 Housing Act 2004 instead. INSPECTIONS: Properties in the selective licensing scheme are NOT inspected before issue of a licence. Inspections are prioritised by property history, landlord/manager compliance history, and information in the application. Where a property is managed by an accredited letting agent or landlord, only a sample of properties will be inspected. Every assessment includes Damp & Mould, Excess Cold, and Fire (the three most common hazards identified in Oxford's 2020 independent review). ENFORCEMENT: Civil financial penalty up to £30,000 per offence. Unlimited fine on conviction. RROs up to 12 months (24 months under Renters' Rights Act 2025). Section 21 invalid where unlicensed. CONTACT: oxford.gov.uk/selective-licensing online application portal. Selective licensing email via the council website.

Areas: City-wide - all privately rented properties

Fee: £825

SCHEME OVERVIEW: Oxford City Council operates a CITYWIDE Additional HMO Licensing Scheme. Oxford was the first council in England to introduce a citywide additional HMO scheme, in January 2011. The current scheme is the renewal that came into force on 10 June 2021 (replacing the previous scheme that expired 24 January 2021). It runs for 5 years (source: oxford.gov.uk/houses-multiple-occupation-hmos/additional-licensing-scheme — official Oxford City Council additional licensing page). LEGAL BASIS: Designation under section 56 of the Housing Act 2004. EVIDENCE BASE: There were ~30,508 privately rented homes in Oxford at the 2020 independent review (49.3% of the city's housing stock — one of the largest PRS proportions in England). An estimated 4,400 of those are HMOs (14.4% of PRS). The 2020 independent review found that approximately 6,200 of the 30,500 PRS properties (a fifth) could have a serious housing hazard. Between 2016-2021 the council received 3,360 complaints about 2,990 properties — around 1 in 10 of all privately rented homes. WHO NEEDS A LICENCE: HMOs occupied by 3 or 4 tenants forming 2+ households fall under the Additional Licensing Scheme. HMOs that are classed as section 257 HMOs (self-contained flats in buildings converted without proper Building Regulations approval) also fall under Additional Licensing. HMOs with 5+ tenants fall under the Mandatory HMO licence scheme instead (unless they are section 257 HMOs). FEES: Two-stage structure (Stage 1 application fee + Stage 2 inspection/enforcement fee). Renewal fees depend on length of licence — Accredited Landlords can get longer licences. Verify current fees on oxford.gov.uk/houses-multiple-occupation-hmos/licence-fees-charges-hmo. Application is not "duly made" until both fees are paid; licence will not be issued until Stage 2 fee is paid. For 2/5-year renewals, Stage 2 must be paid within the time requested or only a 1-year licence will be issued. INSPECTIONS: Oxford inspects all HMOs before issuing a new licence. Re-inspection during the 1-year term to check completion of required works. Re-inspection at any point on receipt of complaints. LICENCE CONDITIONS: Standard conditions include gas safety (annual certificate), electrical safety (5-year EICR), fire safety, fit and proper person test, written tenancy agreements. Newer conditions include: arrangements for tenants to report emergencies where the licence holder is out of the country for over 1 month; provision of rent receipt where rent paid in cash; details of utility provider/billing where tenants pay bills; user manual/written instructions for fixed heating systems. Oxford's Amenity and Facility Guide for HMOs (updated 2018) sets minimum standards. ENFORCEMENT: Civil financial penalty up to £30,000 per offence. Unlimited fine on conviction. RROs up to 12 months (24 months under Renters' Rights Act 2025). Section 21 invalid where unlicensed. Oxford has a strong enforcement track record and does NOT typically warn landlords before starting investigations. CONTACT: oxford.gov.uk/houses-multiple-occupation-hmos / 01865 252307.

Areas: City-wide - all HMOs with 3 or 4 occupants forming 2 or more households

Fee: £825