How many South West councils operate selective or additional licensing?

2 of the 26 councils we track in South West operate at least one discretionary licensing scheme — 8%. Mandatory HMO licensing applies in all of them regardless, wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.

Does a licence in one South West council cover a property in another?

No. Each designation is made by a single local authority under the Housing Act 2004 and applies only within that authority's area. A landlord with property in two South West councils needs a licence from each where a scheme applies.

Property licensing in South West

2 of the 26 councils we track in South West operate a selective or additional HMO licensing scheme — 8%. Mandatory HMO licensing applies in every one of them regardless, wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households. A licence from one council never covers a property in another.

What a licence costs in South West

Across the 15 councils in South West where we hold a published fee, the figures we have read run from £446.40 (South Hams, mandatory HMO) to £1,886 (Bristol, mandatory HMO). That is 17 fees in total, taken from each council's own published schedule and shown in full on its page — most are banded by property size or unit count, so the headline is a starting point rather than the price. A fee is never a penalty: letting unlicensed where a scheme applies risks far more than the difference between the two figures above.

Councils with a scheme

Bristol

Selective →Additional HMO →

Gloucester

Additional HMO →

The rest of South West

No discretionary scheme is established for these councils. That means either the council has confirmed it operates none, or we have not established a position — each page says which. It never means a licence is definitely not needed: mandatory HMO licensing still applies, and a council can designate at any time.

Bath and North East Somerset · Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole · Cheltenham · Cornwall · Cotswold · Dorset · East Devon · Exeter · Forest of Dean · Mid Devon · North Devon · North Somerset · Plymouth · Somerset · South Gloucestershire · South Hams · Stroud · Swindon · Teignbridge · Tewkesbury · Torbay · Torridge · West Devon · Wiltshire

Free compliance audit →Five questions, no account. Tells you which duties apply to your property.Check your tenancy agreement →Clauses that stopped being lawful on 1 May 2026 are still in circulation.

Information tool, not legal advice. Confirm the position with the council before letting.