Leicester HMO Licence: Mandatory Licensing for Shared Houses

Mandatory HMO licensing in Leicester applies city-wide, with no end date and no ward restrictions. If your property houses five or more people from two or more separate households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, you need this licence — whether the property is in Westcotes, Stoneygate, Oadby Road or anywhere else within the city boundary.

Who Needs a Mandatory HMO Licence?

The threshold is straightforward: five or more occupants forming two or more separate households, sharing basic amenities. A "household" under Section 258 of the Housing Act 2004 means members of the same family — married or cohabiting couples (including same-sex couples), parents, children, siblings, and other listed relatives. Unrelated individuals count as separate households.

In practice, most mandatory HMOs in Leicester are student houses near De Montfort University or the University of Leicester, occupied by five or six unrelated students sharing a kitchen and bathroom. But the requirement also catches professional house-shares, migrant worker accommodation and any other property hitting the threshold.

A few configurations that catch landlords out:

• Section 254 HMOs — converted houses with bedsits or non-self-contained units occupied by five or more people across two or more households. Mandatory licence required.
• Section 257 HMOs — buildings converted entirely into self-contained flats where the conversion did not meet Building Regulations and fewer than two-thirds of the flats are owner-occupied. These are excluded from mandatory HMO licensing, though individual flats inside the mapped selective licensing areas may need selective licences.
• Purpose-built blocks — blocks of three or more self-contained flats are exempt from HMO licensing under Part 2, though individual flats in selective licensing zones still need selective licences.

How Much Does It Cost?

The mandatory HMO licence fee in Leicester is a flat £900 per property. Unlike selective licensing, there is no two-stage payment split — the full £900 is payable on application. The licence is valid for up to five years.

Room Size Requirements

HMO properties subject to mandatory licensing must meet the statutory minimum room sizes set by the 2018 regulations. The statutory minimums are:

• Single bedroom (one person aged 10+): minimum 6.51 m²
• Double bedroom (two people aged 10+): minimum 10.22 m²
• Child's bedroom (one person under 10): minimum 4.64 m²

Any floor area where the ceiling height falls below 1.5 metres cannot be counted. Rooms in roof spaces and attic conversions are measured the same way — which is where "rooms in roof" queries come from. If your converted attic bedroom drops below 1.5m at the eaves, only the portion above that height counts toward the minimum.

Leicester and DASH Services also publish local space and amenity guidance for licensable and non-licensable HMOs.

Kitchen and bathroom ratios also matter: typically one full kitchen per five occupants and one bathroom with shower or bath and WC per five occupants.

The Application

Like selective licensing, HMO applications go through Leicester City Council's online regulatory portal. You need the same suite of documents: gas safety certificate, EICR (satisfactory), EPC (grade E minimum), fire safety declaration with mains-powered interlinked alarms, dimensional floor plans showing room measurements and fire escape routes, and your tenancy agreement.

For HMOs, floor plans are especially important. The council uses them to verify room sizes, fire exit routes and maximum occupancy numbers. Inaccurate plans will delay the application.

Small HMOs: A Common Confusion

Leicester does not run an additional HMO licensing scheme. If your property has three or four tenants from separate households sharing amenities, it is technically a small HMO but does not need a mandatory HMO licence (that is only for five-plus). Inside the mapped selective licensing areas, it needs a selective licence instead (£1,290). Outside those areas, it currently needs no local licence at all.

This distinction confuses landlords who search for "Leicester additional HMO licensing" and find nothing — because the scheme does not exist. If in doubt, count your occupants and check the ward boundary.

The Landlord Licensing in Leicester guide covers both mandatory HMO and selective licensing in one place, including the decision framework for working out which licence applies.

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