South East · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in Portsmouth
✓ Hand-verified 19 Aug 2026Portsmouth operates discretionary property licensing. Letting an unlicensed property where a scheme applies risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000 and a rent repayment order — check whether your property is covered below.
Required for any HMO let to 5 or more people forming 2+ households who share facilities.
Portsmouth sets this fee under section 63(3) of the Housing Act 2004. Its current charge is not yet recorded here.
The council’s own licensing page carries the charge that applies today — confirm it there before you budget.
Not established is not the same as free.
Portsmouth City Council does NOT operate a selective licensing scheme. The council has chosen to rely on its city-wide additional HMO licensing scheme and a city-wide Article 4 Direction (covering the entire city) rather than introducing selective licensing for single-household rentals. Legislate verification confirms no selective licensing areas.
Portsmouth operates an additional licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation, made under a designation dated August 2024 and drawn city-wide so that tenants in every HMO are covered rather than only those in a designated district. It extends licensing to shared properties outside the national mandatory regime, typically those let to three or four people forming two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, and the council operates a separate additional licence for section 257 HMOs — converted blocks of flats where the conversion did not meet the Building Regulations in force at the time — with its own fee scale. Mandatory HMO licensing continues to apply separately wherever a property is let to five or more people in two or more households. Fees are charged in two parts: an application fee, then a licence issue fee payable within 14 days of the notice of intention to grant, which covers issuing the licence and running and enforcing the scheme. The council notes it may not profit from licence fees. Applications involve either a verification inspection or a desktop survey, after which a draft licence is issued for comment alongside the request for the second payment.
Areas: City-wide. All HMOs across the city occupied by 3 or 4 people forming two or more households
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued, and the licence lasts 5 years.
| Stage 1 | £222 |
| Stage 2 | £664 |
| Total | £886 |
- Renewal 5-year £845, 2.5-year £740, 1-year £709. , page last updated 1 April 2026
Portsmouth — portsmouth.gov.uk, read 19 Aug 2026
Scheme runs until: 31 August 2028
Common questions
Does Portsmouth have a selective licensing scheme?
No. Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
Yes. Portsmouth operates an additional HMO licensing scheme. Letting a property covered by it without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and the loss of the right to serve a section 21 notice.
Do I need an HMO licence in Portsmouth?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Portsmouth, 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
Additional HMO licensing in Portsmouth: areas, dates and fees →
All property licensing in South East →
Source: Portsmouth licensing page →
Every landlord in Portsmouth 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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