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Landlord licensing in Torridge

Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Torridge let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Torridge 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.

Each fee is for the example property named on its own line, from the council’s published schedule. The full schedules, discounts and surcharges are below.

Most recent source check: 6 August 2026. Each figure below carries the date its own source was read.

Or open EX38 8LF, a postcode near the centre of Torridge, to see what a full report looks like.

Each scheme in detail, and the evidence behind it

Which properties each scheme catches in Torridge, 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

Set by national law, not by the council. Any property let to five or more people forming two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet needs a licence, anywhere in England.

Licence fee, any size£787

Where it applies
National scheme
Which properties
HMOs occupied by 5 or more persons forming 2 or more separate households who share an amenity such as a kitchen, toilet, bathroom or lounge (mandatory HMO licensing under Part 2 Housing Act 2004 and the Licensing of HMO (Prescribed Description) (England) Order 2018, in force from 1 October 2018)
The published fee schedule
Fee
£787
Paid in two parts
£446 on application, then £341 when the licence is granted
Licence term
Up to 5 years
Fee schedule dated
2026/27

Other charges

  • HMO Licence Variation - inspection required: £84
  • HMO Licence Variation - no inspection required: £37

Council source · How to apply · read 6 August 2026

Additional HMO licensing No scheme

A council may extend HMO licensing to smaller HMOs, typically three or four sharers, across all or part of its area.

Council source · read 6 August 2026

Selective licensing No scheme

A council may require a licence for every private rented home in a designated area, whether or not it is an HMO.

Council source · read 6 August 2026

Article 4 and HMO planning permission in Torridge None in force

No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Torridge, 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
Torridge publishes a complete list of its Article 4 Directions at https://www.torridge.gov.uk/article/18566/Article-4-Directions (33 downloads, checked 2026-07-26). All are site- or settlement-specific directions covering Schedule 2 Part 1 householder PD rights (e.g. Higher Winsford, Bideford - Classes A, AA, B, C, D, E, G), agricultural/land parcels, conservation-area settlements (Appledore, Great Torrington, Hartland, Bucks Mills) and one 'Control of Adverts' direction; none removes Schedule 2 Part 3 Class L (C3 to C4 small HMO) and none mentions HMOs or houses in multiple occupation. The national register returns zero entities for Torridge in both article-4-direction and article-4-direction-area (planning.data.gov.uk entity.json, geometry_reference=E07000046 and organisation_entity=346). Site searches on torridge.gov.uk for 'article 4 direction', 'HMO article 4' and 'houses in multiple occupation' surface only the Article 4 page above and the housing-licensing HMO page, with no planning Article 4 HMO content.

checked 26 July 2026

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 Torridge multiplies the exposure rather than capping it.

Sources: Housing Act 2004 s72 · SI 2026/319 · Renters' Rights Act 2025 s103 · Shelter Legal England. Indicative only, not legal advice.

The letting market in Torridge

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.

Postcode districts in Torridge

Licensing, Article 4 and the fee all turn on the exact address, because a designated area rarely follows the council boundary. LetLens holds 2,802 Torridge 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 Torridge?

Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Torridge let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Torridge 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 Torridge?

£787 under the mandatory scheme, from the council's published fee schedule. The council charges the same whatever the size of the HMO. Any additional or selective scheme is priced separately.

Is there an Article 4 direction in Torridge?

No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Torridge, 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 Torridge?

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 Torridge

Torridge is a local housing authority in South West, with a population of about 69,000 and 2,802 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 Torridge

Torridge licensing team · [email protected] · 01237 428848