South West · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in South Hams
✓ Hand-verified 19 Aug 2026Beyond mandatory HMO licensing, South Hams 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.
One payment, and the licence lasts 5 years.
South Hams — council's own published fees, read, read 19 Aug 2026
Evidenced negative by enumeration (first-party research 19 Aug 2026): the council HMO licensing page states "HMOs must be licensed by the council if the property is let to five or more people who form two or more households. It is an offence to operate a licensable HMO without a licence." Mandatory licensing is presented as the only licensing operating and no s.80 selective designation is named. No consultation or committee decision 2020-2026 was found on southhams.gov.uk. South Hams runs a shared service with West Devon Borough Council and the pages use swdevon.gov.uk contact addresses; evidence on southhams.gov.uk belongs to South Hams. Distinct from Teignbridge, Torbay, Plymouth and Devon County Council.
Evidenced negative by enumeration (first-party research 19 Aug 2026): the council HMO licensing page names no s.56 additional designation over smaller HMOs. Fee quoted verbatim: "The HMO Licence fee is £446.40. The licence needs to be renewed every five years. The Fit and Proper fee is £144.00." Structure is a flat licence fee for a five-year licence plus a separate fit and proper charge. No fee-year is stated on the page. this row previously held a flat £1,100, which is not a figure South Hams publishes.
Common questions
Does South Hams have a selective licensing scheme?
No. South Hams 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 South Hams have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
No. South Hams 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 South Hams?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including South Hams, 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: South Hams licensing page →
Every landlord in South Hams 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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