Methodology

Scope

All 296 lower-tier and unitary councils in England. Snapshot date: 2026-10-20.

Fee comparison

The comparison holds the property constant: one HMO occupied by five people forming five
households. That is the point at which mandatory HMO licensing applies throughout England. The CSV
uses the full published standard fee for that example, including both application and grant stages
where the council splits payment. Discounts are not deducted. A blank is never treated as zero.

Article 4

The Article 4 field covers only directions that remove the C3 dwellinghouse to C4 small-HMO
permitted-development right. Heritage, office-to-residential and other Article 4 directions are
excluded. Yes means a direction was in force across all or part of the council. It does not mean the
whole council is covered. The area and postcode-share fields preserve that distinction.

Evidence

LetLens researched council notices, orders, fee schedules and GIS material council by council. The
download includes the official fee and Article 4 source links held for each council and the dates
the evidence was checked. A missing source field means the reviewed study value is retained but a
separate link was not available in the stored evidence.

Limitations

Councils change fees, schemes and direction boundaries. This is a point-in-time comparison and not
legal or planning advice. Confirm any current property-specific decision with the council.
