North West · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in Westmorland and Furness
✓ Hand-verified 19 Aug 2026Beyond mandatory HMO licensing, Westmorland and Furness 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.
| Each room | £20 |
- £700 for a 5-bedroom property plus £20 per room thereafter, for both new licences and renewals
Westmorland and Furness — council's own published fees, read, read 19 Aug 2026
Evidenced negative by enumeration (first-party research 19 Aug 2026): the council HMO page states "If your HMO is rented to five or more people, forming at least two households, it needs a licence. Each licensable HMO will need its own licence." Only mandatory licensing is described and no s.80 selective designation is named. Westmorland and Furness is a unitary created 1 April 2023 from Barrow-in-Furness, Eden and South Lakeland plus part of Cumbria County Council, and no predecessor district designation appears to be in force. Note the previously held URL was the generic licensing hub and has been replaced. Cumberland Council is the other new Cumbrian unitary (Allerdale, Carlisle, Copeland) and is a separate authority.
Evidenced negative by enumeration (first-party research 19 Aug 2026): the council HMO page names no s.56 additional designation and no predecessor district scheme from Barrow-in-Furness, Eden or South Lakeland is referenced. Fee quoted verbatim: "A license fee currently costs £700 for a 5-bedroom property, £20 per room thereafter for both new licenses and renewals. A HMO licence can last for up to five years." Base plus per-room increment, same rate for new and renewal. No fee-year is stated; the application form was updated March 2026.
Common questions
Does Westmorland and Furness have a selective licensing scheme?
No. Westmorland and Furness 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 Westmorland and Furness have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
No. Westmorland and Furness 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 Westmorland and Furness?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Westmorland and Furness, 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 North West →
Source: Westmorland and Furness licensing page →
Every landlord in Westmorland and Furness 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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