York: eight wards of small-HMO licensing, plus a city-wide Article 4
York operates two HMO licensing schemes - mandatory and additional - and publishes no selective licensing. Its additional scheme was designated on 17 August 2022 and became a requirement on 1 April 2023, covering three- and four-tenant HMOs in eight named wards. Alongside it sits an Article 4 direction across York's main urban area and a planning policy specifically aimed at limiting HMO concentration.
The eight wards
Additional licensing applies in Clifton, Fishergate, Fulford and Heslington, Guildhall, Heworth, Hull Road, Micklegate, and Osbaldwick and Derwent. It covers HMOs with three or four tenants forming more than one household who share a kitchen, bathroom or WC, where the property is their only or main residence - students and migrant workers count. Mandatory HMO licensing, for five or more occupants in two or more households, applies city-wide regardless of ward.
Fees are banded, and rise every April
For 2026-27 the two-stage fees are: band A, three to six occupants, £914 plus £610 totalling £1,524; band B, seven to nine, £1,779; band C, ten to fourteen, £1,944; band D, fifteen or more, £2,186. The same table covers mandatory, additional and renewals. There's a £75 discount off the second-stage fee where the licence holder has a relevant HMO qualification or recognised training. Fees increase each 1 April, and the council can charge hourly where it has to identify an unregistered HMO and bring it into licensing itself.
Article 4 and HMO concentration
York has an Article 4 direction across its main urban area requiring planning permission for change of use from C3 to C4, and a "Controlling the Concentration of HMOs" supplementary planning document used as a material consideration. In a city with York's student population, concentration is the reason applications get refused - so establish the planning position before you buy, because a licence will not fix it.
The penalties York publishes
York's published enforcement options are a formal caution, a penalty charge of up to £40,000, or prosecution carrying a criminal record, an unlimited fine, costs and a victim surcharge. Tenants can seek a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rental income, and you cannot serve a valid section 21 notice while the property is unlicensed. Different councils publish different maximum figures - York's is at the higher end.
Check your ward on City of York Council's ward lookup and verify current fees and penalties on its HMO licensing pages. Illustrative guide - designations, fees and penalties 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.
Additional HMO licensing (3-4 tenants): YES - 8 wards since 1 Apr 2023. 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.