Fees and charges
Our licence fee structure consists of two stages:
- The Stage 1 fee must be paid when you make the application for the application process costs. Please only pay the Stage 1 fee when you make your licence application.
- The Stage 2 fee must be paid within 14 days of Decision to Issue the Licence and it will be a condition of the licence that this fee is paid. We will advise you of the Stage 2 fee if and when we serve our 'Intention to grant the licence' (Draft Licence). The amount of Stage 2 fee depends on the length of the licence granted.
Your application is not “duly made” until the stage 1 fee is paid.
| Application type | Stage 1 fee | Stage 2 fee | Total fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higher Rate New Application - New application for a one-year licence where the HMO has been found to be operating unlicensed for more than 12 weeks | £660.00 | £1,410.00 | £2,070.00 |
| Standard New Application - New application for a one-year* licence where: i) The HMO was acquired and/or began operating as an HMO within the previous 12 weeks; or ii) The licence expired before a valid renewal application was completed; or iii) Change of existing licence holder. *May be eligible for longer licence in cases of i) or iii) if licence holder holds other HMO licences with us and all relevant criteria are met at time of application |
£660.00 | £790.00 | £1,450.00 |
| New application – Two-year licence where all eligibility criteria are met | £660.00 | £370.00 | £1,030.00 |
| New application – Five year licence where all eligibility criteria are met | £660.00 | £210.00 | £870.00 |
| Standard Renewal - Renewal of a licence | £660.00 | £160.00 | £820.00 |
Please note that in order to be eligible for a renewal licence, you must submit your application while the existing licence is still current, and you must be the existing licence holder - HMO Licences are not transferable, so an application made by a new owner is de facto a new application.
A renewal fee applies only if the licence is being renewed for the same period as the existing licence. If, upon the expiration of your current licence, you wish to renew for a different period (to a maximum of five years), you must pay the new application fee for the new licence length. Please note that if you were issued a five year licence under the pre-2019 structure, you will need to evidence that you meet the eligibility criteria in order to renew for five years.
How to pay
- If you submitted a HMO application on or after 26 September 2022 please login to the licensing portal for payments.
- If you submitted a HMO application before 26 September 2022, please make your payment online and select “business and licensing” and then:
- Mandatory HMO Licence for properties with five or more tenants sharing amenities
- Additional HMO Licence for properties with fewer five tenants, or with no shared amenities
We will issue a receipt for all payment methods upon request.
| Service type | Price |
|---|---|
| HMO licensing advice (per visit) – optional visit to determine whether the property is suitable to be licensed and advise on requirements for property to be used as an HMO. |
£280.00 plus VAT (£336.00) |
| Charge for printing and posting Paper HMO Applications. | £35.00 |
| Charge for additional Paper HMO Applications. | £12.00 |
The licensing fees are set to recover the administrative and inspection costs. We can only offer refunds upon withdrawal of an application as below.
Refunds
Stage 1 fees for withdrawn applications will no longer be refundable from 1 April 2022. However, we will continue to assess requests for refunds depending on specific circumstances on a case by case basis.
If you withdraw your HMO licence application and it is subsequently found that you are operating the property as an HMO then you will be required to make a new application and may be subject to formal enforcement action for operating an unlicensed HMO.
HMO licensing
Address: Coventry City CouncilPO Box 7097
Coventry
CV6 9SL
