Basingstoke and Deane: mandatory HMO licensing with clear fee tiers
Basingstoke and Deane's mandatory HMO guidance covers properties generally occupied by five or more people, with a special rule for certain flats in purpose-built blocks. The council publishes five-year, renewal and two-year fee schedules, a free Temporary Exemption Notice route and an August 2026 licence register. No current additional or selective designation was confirmed in the official material reviewed.
The mandatory HMO rule
Basingstoke and Deane says a house or flat generally needs a licence when occupied by five or more people. It also gives a specific rule for flats with five or more occupants from two or more households sharing facilities, subject to an exception for certain purpose-built blocks. Check the building type and layout rather than relying on the word flat.
Five-year and two-year routes
The published schedule lists a new five-year licence at £1,108, made up of £489 at application and £619 at grant. A standard renewal is £1,042 (£423 + £619), a discounted renewal is £990 (£423 + £567), and a two-year licence is £715 (£475 + £240). Confirm the current schedule in the live application route before paying.
Prepare the application evidence
The council asks for the application form and first-stage fee, together with evidence such as photo ID and address, a metric floor plan and fit-and-proper-person information. A Temporary Exemption Notice lasts three months, may potentially be extended for a further three months and carries no fee. Keep the notice and any extension evidence with the property record.
The register is date-stamped
Basingstoke and Deane publishes an HMO licence register labelled August 2026. Use it as an official starting point, but confirm the current licence, conditions and address directly when buying or taking over management. The licence belongs to the licensing record, not automatically to a new owner.
RROs and planning controls
The council says a rent repayment order may recover up to 100% of rent less Universal Credit for a maximum of twelve months, with applications made to the First-tier Tribunal within twelve months. Its Article 4 planning controls cover Basingstoke Town, Chineham, Old Basing, Oakley, Sherborne St John and surrounding areas including West End. Planning permission remains separate from licensing, and the current exact HMO penalty maximum was not safely confirmed.
Verify current thresholds, fees, TEN rules, the register and planning controls via Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's official HMO pages. Illustrative guide - schemes, fees and policies change; general information, not legal advice.
Renewal tracked from expiry, reminders from 60 days out, proof of service to tenants logged. Knows the 2-month early-renewal rule that keeps your date fixed.
Five years goes quicker than you think. Kept remembers so you don't have to - including the 28-day duty to give tenants a copy.
Expiry tracked from the certificate details you confirm - band E is the current minimum for most domestic private lets unless exempt, and proposed changes are flagged only when they become law.
30-day protection window tracked from the day the money lands - not the tenancy date - with prescribed information logged.
Check dates and follow-up dates for time-limited permissions, stored against each tenant.
Smoke alarms every storey, CO alarms where required, checked and dated at the start of every tenancy.
A one-off duty for tenancies that existed on 1 May 2026. Who was served, when, and how - the £7,000 question, answered with a dated record.
Preparation and export support for the future official registration process - clearly marked as planned.
Selective licensing: No current scheme found - verify. See the local picture above - every other duty applies exactly as it does nationwide.
Add a postcode and Kept resolves the council, location and local context automatically.
Planned preparation and export support for the government's regional PRS Database rollout.