LetLens / Licensing by council / North Somerset
Landlord licensing in North Somerset
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in North Somerset let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. North Somerset runs no additional or selective licensing scheme of its own, so smaller shared houses and ordinary rentals do not need a council licence here.
The licence you need turns on who lives in the property. Find the line that describes your let.
- Required by national lawThe same in all 296 English councils. Not a North Somerset decision.
Your propertyLet to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet
You needMandatory HMO licence In force England-wide
It costs£752.10 for a 5-bedroom HMO£752 base + £67/unit over 5
WhereEverywhere in North Somerset, as everywhere in England. Scope, fee schedule and source
- What North Somerset requires on topSchemes this council chose to run, and what differs from the council next door.
Your propertyA smaller shared house the national scheme does not reach, typically 3 or 4 sharers forming 2 or more households
You needNo additional HMO licence No scheme
Your propertyLet privately inside a designated area, whether or not it is an HMO
You needNo selective licence No scheme
- Planning permission, a separate questionNot licensing. Whether you may create an HMO at all, decided by the council’s planning side.
Your planConverting a house (use class C3) into a small HMO (use class C4)
You needPlanning permission None in force
WhereNo direction here, so this is normally permitted development. The direction, its dates and its boundary
Each fee is for the example property named on its own line, from the council’s published schedule. Other sizes are priced separately; the full schedules, discounts and surcharges are below.
Or open BS49 4BT, a postcode near the centre of North Somerset, to see what a full report looks like.
Each scheme in detail, and the evidence behind it
Which properties each scheme catches in North Somerset, in the council’s own words, with the designations in force, the whole published fee schedule and the source for every figure. The three regimes can stack: a property can need a licence under one and still be caught by another.
Mandatory HMO licensing In force England-wide
Fee, 5-bed HMO£752.10£752 base + £67/unit over 5
- Where it applies
- National scheme
- Which properties
- HMOs occupied by 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share amenities such as a toilet, bathroom or cooking facilities (mandatory HMO licensing under s55/s254 Housing Act 2004 and the Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Description) (England) Order 2018)
The published fee schedule
- Base fee
- £752.10
- Size charge
- £67.75 per unit above 5
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 2026-27
Discounts
- West of England Rental Standard approved-organisation member discount (reduces up-to-5-unit base from GBP752.10 to GBP599.50; additional-unit rate also reduced to GBP54.55): £152.60
Other charges
- Fit and proper persons assessment (per person): £45.05
- Cost recovery per hour when licensing works not completed (incl. third and subsequent visits): £49.80
- Discounted (WoE Rental Standard member) base - properties containing up to 5 units of accommodation: £599.50
- Discounted (WoE Rental Standard member) each additional unit thereafter: £54.55
- Discounted (WoE Rental Standard member) fit and proper persons assessment (per person): £45
Additional HMO licensing No scheme
Selective licensing No scheme
Article 4 and HMO planning permission in North Somerset None in force
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in North Somerset, so converting a house into a small HMO occupied by no more than six residents (use class C4) is normally permitted development and does not need planning permission on those grounds. An HMO for seven or more residents falls outside class C4 and needs permission anyway.
The research note behind this verdict
What happens if you let without a licence
Letting or managing an unlicensed property that needs a licence is a criminal offence, under section 72 of the Housing Act 2004 for an HMO and section 95 for a property caught by selective licensing. A council can prosecute, or impose a civil penalty instead. For conduct on or after 1 May 2026 that penalty can be up to £40,000 per offence, raised from £30,000 by the Financial Penalties (Housing Offences and Breach of Banning Orders) Regulations 2026. Tenants and the council can also apply for a rent repayment order, which for conduct from the same date can claw back up to two years of rent, up from one, under section 103 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
Both of those maxima apply only to conduct on or after 1 May 2026. Earlier conduct is still judged against the old £30,000 and twelve-month limits. Each breach is normally penalised separately, so an unlicensed portfolio in North Somerset multiplies the exposure rather than capping it.
The letting market in North Somerset
Licensing is only one side of the sum. These are medians from real listings we have collected, with the number of listings behind each one, because a median over a handful of adverts is a different claim from a median over hundreds.
- Median room rent£659 pcmFrom 205 room listings in North Somerset.
- Median whole-property rent£1,164 pcmFrom 118 whole-property listings.
- Typical 4-bed rent£1,565 pcmThe comparison a room-by-room let is measured against.
- HMO income premium+111%Five rooms let individually against one four-bedroom whole-property let, before the extra cost, licensing and voids that come with an HMO.
- Median sale price£315,000Across 909 sales in 2026, all property types, HM Land Registry.
- Gross yield, whole let4.4%Median whole-property rent for a year against the median sale price. Before voids, management, repairs, licensing and finance, all of which a real return has to carry.
- Gross yield, 5-room HMO12.6%Five rooms at the median room rent against the same median sale price. The higher figure is what pays for the licence, the extra management and the higher voids, rather than being profit on top of them.
- Typical household income£42,485Mean of net small-area median incomes around the council's main listing areas, not a council-wide median.
- Postcodes with flood exposure34.4%2,194 of 6,386 indexed postcodes.
- Postcodes in Flood Zone 32,006 (31.4%)The Environment Agency's highest-probability zone. Lenders and insurers ask about this one by name, and it is a subset of the exposure above.
Room rent by outcode
Room rent varies by £112 a month across North Somerset’s outcodes, so the council-wide median above is a starting point rather than the answer for a particular street.
| Outcode | Median room rent | Room listings | Check a postcode |
|---|---|---|---|
| BS20 | £762 pcm | 28 | Check BS20 |
| BS23 | £650 pcm | 76 | Check BS23 |
| BS24 | £650 pcm | 26 | Check BS24 |
Postcode districts in North Somerset
Licensing, Article 4 and the fee all turn on the exact address, because a designated area rarely follows the council boundary. LetLens holds 6,386 North Somerset postcodes. Open one of its postcode districts to see the verdict, the local rent evidence and the investment model.
Common questions
Do I need an HMO licence in North Somerset?
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in North Somerset let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. North Somerset runs no additional or selective licensing scheme of its own, so smaller shared houses and ordinary rentals do not need a council licence here.
How much does an HMO licence cost in North Somerset?
£752.10 for a five-bedroom, five-person HMO under the mandatory scheme, from the council's published fee schedule. Fee basis: £752 base + £67/unit over 5. Larger or smaller properties, and any additional or selective scheme, are priced separately.
Is there an Article 4 direction in North Somerset?
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in North Somerset, so converting a house into a small HMO occupied by no more than six residents (use class C4) is normally permitted development and does not need planning permission on those grounds. An HMO for seven or more residents falls outside class C4 and needs permission anyway.
What is the penalty for letting an unlicensed property in North Somerset?
Letting or managing a property that needs a licence without one is a criminal offence under the Housing Act 2004. The council can prosecute or impose a civil penalty, which for conduct on or after 1 May 2026 can be up to £40,000 per offence, raised from £30,000 by the Financial Penalties (Housing Offences and Breach of Banning Orders) Regulations 2026. Tenants or the council can also seek a rent repayment order covering up to two years of rent for conduct from that date, up from one year, under section 103 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Each breach is normally penalised separately. Indicative only, not legal advice.
About North Somerset
North Somerset is a local housing authority in South West, with a population of about 216,000 and 6,386 live postcodes indexed by LetLens. It is the licensing authority for every private rented property inside its boundary, and the local planning authority that decides whether an Article 4 direction applies.
Nearby councils
Licensing stops at the council boundary, so a street on the other side of it can carry a different scheme and a different fee.
Contact North Somerset
North Somerset licensing team · [email protected] · 01934 888888