Additional HMO licensing in Woking

What the designation says

An additional HMO licensing scheme is in force across the whole borough of Woking. The designation was made on 29 September 2025 under section 56 of the Housing Act 2004, came into force on 5 January 2026 and ceases to have effect on 4 January 2031 unless the council revokes it earlier. It applies to a house or flat let to three or more tenants forming more than one household who share facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom, and to a live-in landlord with three or more lodgers who share those facilities. In practice a shared home of three or four occupants now needs a licence in Woking where previously only five or more did. A property is outside the scheme where it is already licensable under mandatory licensing, is subject to an interim or final management order, holds a temporary exemption, is a building listed in Schedule 14 of the Act, or is the landlord's only or main residence shared with no more than two lodgers. The designation covers the borough as delineated on its map and remains in place for any successor authority following local government reorganisation.

What this means for a landlord

A licence must be in place before the property is let, not applied for afterwards. Operating unlicensed in a designated area is a criminal offence: a civil penalty of up to £30,000 per offence, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and a section 21 notice that cannot be served while the property is unlicensed. Mandatory HMO licensing applies separately and everywhere, wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.

Woking's own licensing page →