Landlord licensing and compliance in Exeter
Exeter's additional HMO licensing scheme expired in February 2020, while mandatory licensing continues for qualifying HMOs with five or more occupants from at least two households. The council's displayed HMO fees are labelled 2025/26, so they are not current 2026/27 figures. An Article 4 direction near the university is a separate planning control whose map should be checked for the exact address.
Mandatory licensing remains in place
Exeter describes mandatory licensing for HMOs occupied by five or more people forming at least two households. Its additional licensing scheme expired in February 2020. The council says existing additional licences remained valid for five years from their application date and did not need renewal when they expired.
Treat the displayed fees as historic
The application page shows 2025/26 charges: Part A £298.70 and Part B £772.50, plus £10.80 for each bedroom from the sixth. It also describes a £125 Part B reduction for recognised accreditation. These are superseded fee-year figures as at 23 September 2026; the current 2026/27 schedule, renewal charge and instalments were UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website.
Check the Article 4 map separately
The council says an Article 4 direction in force from 2011 removes permitted development rights for C3-to-C4 conversion in an area near the university. Check the council-linked map for the exact boundary. Planning permission and HMO licensing are separate, and the direction does not itself create a licensing requirement.
Register and standards
Exeter provides an HMO licence register searchable by postcode or address, recording details including the licence holder, permitted occupancy and issue date. Its standards guidance covers fire safety, amenities and room sizes. Selective licensing status, the current licence term, local penalty amounts, rent repayment order information and prosecution examples were UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website.
Sources: Exeter City Council HMO licensing, application and fee page, HMO register, safety and standards, room-size guidance, landlord information and HMO planning guidance. Verify current fees and the Article 4 boundary with the council. Illustrative guide - scheme boundaries and dates 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 (ordinary lets): UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. 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.