South East · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in Winchester
✓ Hand-verified 19 Aug 2026Beyond mandatory HMO licensing, Winchester 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.
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued, and the licence lasts 5 years.
- Re-licensing £983 (administration £264 + management £719). 5-year licence
Winchester, read 19 August 2026
Evidenced negative by enumeration (first-party research 19 Aug 2026): the council HMO page (last updated 12 March 2026) states "From 1 October 2018, the law... requires all multi-occupied dwellings with 5 or more occupants living as more than one household to be licenced." Mandatory licensing is presented as the only licensing type operating and no s.80 selective designation is named. Winchester holds HMO Article 4 Directions at Winnall and Stanmore plus a public notice for Chalk Ridge, all linked from the service page. Those are planning controls removing permitted development rights, NOT licensing designations. Note the previously held URL was a 2018 news article about the national mandatory extension and has been replaced. Distinct from Test Valley, Eastleigh, Southampton, Basingstoke and Deane and Hampshire County Council.
Evidenced negative by enumeration (first-party research 19 Aug 2026): the council HMO page names no s.56 additional designation. Fee quoted verbatim: "HMO Licensing Fee - £1201 (£1247 as of 1st April 2026); Re-Licensing Fee - £947 (£983 as of 1st April 2026)", split into an "administration fee which must be paid on submission... is £511 (£528 as of 1st April 2026) for new licences and £257 (£264 as of 1st April 2026) for renewal licences" plus a "management element is £690 (£719 as of 1st April 2026) for a new application and £690 (£719 as of 1st April 2026) for renewing a licence." The 1 April 2026 figures are the current ones as at this research date. Five-year licence.
Common questions
Does Winchester have a selective licensing scheme?
No. Winchester 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 Winchester have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
No. Winchester 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 Winchester?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Winchester, 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 East →
Source: Winchester licensing page →
Every landlord in Winchester 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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