HMO licence plans for Croydon landlords under the new additional scheme
From 25 September 2026 Croydon requires an additional HMO licence for any house let to three or four people from two or more households, across the whole borough. The application asks for a floor plan showing room sizes and which facilities are shared or exclusive. We draw it, with a room schedule, for a fixed £495.
Fixed fee from £495 · all prices
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What changed on 25 September 2026
The council's additional HMO licensing scheme page says that from 25 September 2026 additional HMO licensing applies to smaller HMOs in Croydon not covered by mandatory licensing: properties occupied by 3 or 4 people comprising 2 or more households. The scheme is borough-wide, and licences are granted for up to five years unless there are compliance or management concerns.
A landlord who let a four-bedroom house to four working adults last year without a licence now needs one. If a property already holds a mandatory licence, the page says it does not need an additional or selective licence for the same property.
HMO Licence Plans in Croydon
from £495
Every price is the full fixed fee you pay. No VAT is charged. Council application fees are paid to the council separately.
What you get
- Scaled plans of every floor with each room's area given
- Kitchens, bathrooms and WCs marked as shared or exclusive
- A schedule of bedroom areas against the national minimum sizes
- Doors, stairs and escape routes drawn clearly for the inspection
- A PDF pack to upload with the online application
- A short note of rooms close to a minimum
- Confirm the scheme
Three or four occupiers in two or more households, anywhere in Croydon.
- Measure the house
Room areas on the plan come from a measured survey.
- Mark shared and exclusive
Each kitchen, bathroom and WC labelled for who uses it.
- Schedule the rooms
Bedroom areas set against the minimum sizes.
- Apply, then be inspected
The council inspects every additional HMO before it grants a licence.
The floor plan the council asks for
The council's applying for a licence page lists the documents you must include. One is a floor plan showing room sizes, and which facilities are shared and which are exclusive, for example kitchens and bathrooms. It sits beside the gas safety certificate, the EICR, the EPC, fire alarm and emergency lighting test certificates, a fire risk assessment and planning evidence.
That is a more specific brief than most councils give. The plan has to answer who uses what: a bathroom shared by four, an en-suite used by one. A schedule that counts amenities against tenants is exactly that answer, which is why we draw it with the plan.
The national conditions say a bedroom for one person over 10 must be at least 6.51 square metres, and a room below 4.64 square metres cannot be used for sleeping.
Every one is inspected
The same page says all additional HMO licence applications require an inspection before a licence can be granted, carried out by The Oyster Partnership's licensing officers on behalf of the council. An inspector will measure and count. A plan that already shows the measured area of each room, and a schedule that has them in a table, saves the first ten minutes of the visit and avoids disagreements over a doorway.
What the licence costs
The council's fees page lists an additional HMO licence at £1,250, in two parts: £750 when you apply and £500 once the licence is to be granted. There is also a one-year licence at £850. Part A is not refunded if the application is refused, rejected or withdrawn.
An EPC of B or above takes £50 off Part B, and accreditation with a listed scheme takes £100 off. Those are the council's figures, they can change, and they are paid to the council on top of our fixed fee.
Room sizes behind the schedule
The national conditions say a bedroom for one person over 10 must be at least 6.51 square metres, and a room below 4.64 square metres cannot be used for sleeping. Our schedule sets the measured area of every bedroom against those figures, so a shortfall shows before the inspector arrives.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| from 25 September 2026 | Croydon Council, Additional HMO licensing scheme 2026: from 25 September 2026, Additional HMO licensing applies to all smaller HMO properties in Croydon not covered by mandatory licensing | www.croydon.gov.uk |
| 3 or 4 persons, borough-wide | Croydon Council, Additional HMO licensing scheme 2026: occupied by 3 or 4 persons comprising 2 or more households; this scheme is borough wide; licences up to 5 years | www.croydon.gov.uk |
| floor plan showing room sizes and shared or exclusive facilities | Croydon Council, Applying for a licence: documents required include a floor plan showing room sizes, and which facilities are shared and which are exclusive (for example kitchens and bathrooms) | www.croydon.gov.uk |
| inspection before grant | Croydon Council, Applying for a licence: all additional HMO licence applications require an inspection of the property before a licence can be granted | www.croydon.gov.uk |
| £1250 | Croydon Council, Licence fees and discounts: additional HMO Part A £750, Part B £500, total £1,250; one-year additional HMO £850 | www.croydon.gov.uk |
| Part A not refunded | Croydon Council, Licence fees and discounts: Part A is not refunded if the application is refused, rejected or withdrawn | www.croydon.gov.uk |
| £50 and £100 off Part B | Croydon Council, Licence fees and discounts: EPC B and above £50 off Part B; accredited landlord £100 off Part B | www.croydon.gov.uk |
| 6.51 square metres | Licensing and Management of HMOs (Mandatory Conditions of Licences) (England) Regulations 2018, new Sch 4 para 1A(2)(a): one person aged over 10 years (source wording: "not less than 6.51 square metres") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 4.64 square metres | Same regulations, para 1A(2)(d): a room under this size may not be used for sleeping (source wording: "less than 4.64 square metres") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
Questions people ask
Does a four-person shared house in Croydon need a licence now?
What plan does the council ask for?
Will the council inspect?
Is the council's fee in your price?
Photographs: Dr Neil Clifton (CC BY-SA 2.0); Tim Green from Bradford (CC BY 2.0).
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