LetLens / Licensing by council / Woking
Landlord licensing in Woking
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Woking let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Woking also runs additional HMO licensing, which can bring smaller HMOs, or every private rental, into licensing.
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 Woking 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£880 for a 5-bedroom HMO£830 base + £10/bedroom
WhereEverywhere in Woking, as everywhere in England. Scope, fee schedule and source
- What Woking 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 needAdditional HMO licence In force
It costs£870 for a 4-bedroom HMO£830 base + £10/bedroom
WhereEverywhere in Woking. Scope, fee schedule and source
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 GU21 5AH, a postcode near the centre of Woking, to see what a full report looks like.
Each scheme in detail, and the evidence behind it
Which properties each scheme catches in Woking, 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£880£830 base + £10/bedroom
- Where it applies
- National scheme
- Which properties
- HMOs occupied by 5 or more persons forming 2 or more households who share amenities such as a kitchen or bathroom (mandatory HMO licensing under s55/s254 Housing Act 2004)
The published fee schedule
- Base fee
- £830
- Base fee, paid in two parts
- £700 on application, then £130 when the licence is granted
- Size charge
- £10 per bedroom
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
Discounts
- Accredited landlord: £100
- Registered charity or not-for-profit organisation: £200
Other charges, all 24
- Renewal Part 1 (plus £10 per bedroom): £500
- Renewal Part 2: £130
- Advisory inspection requested by the landlord: £179
- No access for arranged visit (24 hours' notice given, access not provided): £102
- Printed worked example: new-licence Part 1, 2-bed (700 + 2x10): £720
- Printed worked example: new-licence Part 1, 4-bed: £740
- Printed worked example: new-licence Part 1, 5-bed: £750
- Printed worked example: new-licence Part 1, 6-bed: £760
- Printed worked example: new-licence Part 1, 9-bed: £790
- Printed worked example: new-licence total, 2-bed (830 + 2x10): £850
- Printed worked example: new-licence total, 4-bed: £870
- Printed worked example: new-licence total, 5-bed: £880
- Printed worked example: new-licence total, 6-bed: £890
- Printed worked example: new-licence total, 9-bed: £920
- Printed worked example: renewal Part 1, 2-bed (500 + 2x10): £520
- Printed worked example: renewal Part 1, 4-bed: £540
- Printed worked example: renewal Part 1, 5-bed: £550
- Printed worked example: renewal Part 1, 6-bed: £560
- Printed worked example: renewal Part 1, 9-bed: £590
- Printed worked example: renewal total, 2-bed (630 + 2x10): £650
- Printed worked example: renewal total, 4-bed: £670
- Printed worked example: renewal total, 5-bed: £680
- Printed worked example: renewal total, 6-bed: £690
- Printed worked example: renewal total, 9-bed: £720
Additional HMO licensing In force
Fee, 4-bed HMO£870£830 base + £10/bedroom
- Where it applies
- Council-wide
- Which properties
- Small HMOs occupied by three or more tenants forming more than one household who share some facilities such as a bathroom or kitchen (s254/s258 Housing Act 2004), i.e. HMOs below the 5-person mandatory threshold (typically 3-4 occupants). Also captures a live-in landlord with 3 or more lodgers who share facilities, and hostels managed by charities / refuges for those fleeing domestic abuse. Excludes HMOs required to be licensed under mandatory licensing (s55(2)(a)) and buildings excluded by Schedule 14.
- Designations in force
- Woking Borough Council Designation for an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2025
- Designation period
- 5 January 2026 to 4 January 2031
The published fee schedule
- Base fee
- £830
- Base fee, paid in two parts
- £700 on application, then £130 when the licence is granted
- Size charge
- £10 per bedroom
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
Discounts
- Accredited landlord: £100
- Registered charity or not-for-profit organisation: £200
Other charges
- Renewal Part 1 (plus £10 per bedroom): £500
- Renewal Part 2: £130
- Advisory inspection requested by the landlord: £179
- No access for arranged visit (24 hours' notice given, access not provided): £102
Selective licensing No scheme
Article 4 and HMO planning permission in Woking None in force
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Woking, 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 Woking multiplies the exposure rather than capping it.
The letting market in Woking
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£821 pcmFrom 131 room listings in Woking.
- Median whole-property rent£1,495 pcmFrom 49 whole-property listings.
- Typical 4-bed rent£1,804 pcmThe comparison a room-by-room let is measured against.
- HMO income premium+128%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£434,500Across 340 sales in 2026, all property types, HM Land Registry.
- Gross yield, whole let4.1%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 HMO11.3%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£50,818Mean of net small-area median incomes around the council's main listing areas, not a council-wide median.
- Postcodes with flood exposure7.1%184 of 2,596 indexed postcodes.
- Postcodes in Flood Zone 333 (1.3%)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 £50 a month across Woking’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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GU21 | £850 pcm | 56 | Check GU21 |
| GU22 | £800 pcm | 56 | Check GU22 |
Postcode districts in Woking
Licensing, Article 4 and the fee all turn on the exact address, because a designated area rarely follows the council boundary. LetLens holds 2,596 Woking 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 Woking?
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Woking let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Woking also runs additional HMO licensing, which can bring smaller HMOs, or every private rental, into licensing. Additional HMO licensing applies across the whole council.
How much does an HMO licence cost in Woking?
£880 for a five-bedroom, five-person HMO under the mandatory scheme, from the council's published fee schedule. Fee basis: £830 base + £10/bedroom. Larger or smaller properties, and any additional or selective scheme, are priced separately.
Is there an Article 4 direction in Woking?
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Woking, 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 Woking?
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 Woking
Woking is a local housing authority in South East, with a population of about 100,000 and 2,596 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 Woking
Woking licensing team · [email protected] · 01483 755855