Sunderland HMO Licence Fees 2026/27: The Full Cost Breakdown

The fee schedule for Sunderland's mandatory HMO licence isn't a single number — it's a two-part payment with extra charges that catch unprepared landlords. Here's exactly what you'll pay in 2026/27.

The Two-Part Fee Split

Following the Court of Appeal rulings in Hemming v Westminster City Council and Gaskin v Richmond, Sunderland City Council splits licensing fees into two distinct payments:

Part 1 — Application Processing: Paid when you submit the online application. Covers document validation, fit-and-proper-person checks, and the initial property inspection. This fee is non-refundable, even if your application is refused or withdrawn.

Part 2 — Licence Grant: Paid after the council issues a draft licence and considers any representations. Covers ongoing scheme administration, register maintenance, and enforcement.

2026/27 Fee Schedule

Those renewal savings — £172 less than a new application — only apply if you submit the renewal before your current licence expires. Miss the deadline and you're paying the full new-application rate.

Additional Bedroom Charges

The base fee covers a five-bedroom property. If your HMO has more bedrooms, Sunderland adds a per-room surcharge:

• Each additional bedroom over five: £45 in 2026/27

A seven-bedroom HMO would pay the base £1,037 plus £90 (two extra rooms), totalling £1,127 for a new licence.

The Charges That Catch People Out

Beyond the headline fees, the 2026/27 schedule lists an application-error charge and a charge for statutory housing notices and orders:

Incomplete application surcharge — £123: If your application is missing documents, has inaccurate floor plan measurements, or contains formatting errors, the council adds this to your Part 2 invoice. It's not optional. Submit a floor plan without proper square-metre annotations and you'll see it on your bill.

Statutory housing notice or order — £600: The schedule lists this charge for a prohibition notice, hazard awareness notice, improvement notice, or emergency prohibition order. Emergency remedial action is charged on a cost-recovery basis.

Licence variations and hourly administration: The 2026/27 HMO fee schedule does not list separate prices for licence variations or an hourly administration rate. Contact the council to confirm any charge before requesting a variation or correction.

How Fees Have Changed Over Three Years

The council reviews its fee schedule annually, effective 1 April:

Based on the approximate 2024/25 totals shown, fees rose about 4.6–4.8% in 2025/26 and 3.2–3.3% in 2026/27. The two-part structure itself hasn't changed — it's required by case law.

When Each Payment Is Due

Part 1 is paid by card during the online portal submission. Your application isn't formally received until the payment clears.

Part 2 is invoiced after the council processes your application, inspects the property, issues a draft licence (Intention Notice), and — assuming no objections during the 14-day representation window — approves it. The gap between Part 1 and Part 2 typically runs 12 to 16 weeks.

What Fees Don't Cover

The licensing fee doesn't include other property compliance costs, which may include:

• Gas safety certificate (CP12): typically £60–£90
• EICR: typically £150–£250 depending on property size
• EPC: typically £60–£100
• Fire alarm and emergency lighting certification: varies by system

Gas, electrical, and fire-safety documents listed in the council's application guidance are required uploads. EPC compliance is a separate landlord obligation for letting; check the current application guidance for the documents required for your property.

Avoiding the £123 Surcharge

The easiest money you'll save is the incomplete-application fee. The council applies it when floor plans lack square-metre measurements, safety certificates are expired, or the fit-and-proper declaration is incomplete. Our Sunderland Landlord Licensing Guide includes a document checklist that matches exactly what the council's portal expects — the annotations, the formats, and the evidence matrix that gets your application through clean.

See more England guides →