HMO licence plans for Redbridge landlords, with fire exits and alarms marked
Redbridge licenses every HMO of three or more people, not only the five-person houses, and its application asks for floor plans showing fire exits, hard-wired smoke alarms and heat detectors. We draw those plans and a room schedule for a fixed £495, so the pack matches what the council lists.
Fixed fee from £495 · all prices
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Two licences, one borough
The council's HMO licensing page describes two licences. A mandatory licence applies to privately rented properties occupied by five or more people making up two or more households. An additional licence applies to those occupied by three or four people in two or more households.
The additional scheme was approved on 30 May 2023, came into force on Monday 18 September 2023 and ceases to have effect on 17 September 2028 unless the council revokes it earlier. So a four-person shared house in Ilford or Barkingside is inside the scheme, and the clock on its renewal is already running.
HMO Licence Plans in Redbridge
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 rooms labelled by use
- Fire exits and escape routes marked on each plan
- Positions for smoke alarms and heat detectors, drawn from your fire risk assessment
- A schedule of bedroom areas against the national minimum sizes
- A PDF pack for the council's online application
- A short note of rooms close to a minimum
- Count households
The Redbridge fee depends on how many households live in the property.
- Measure the house
A measured survey gives room areas and escape distances.
- Draw the fire layout
Fire exits, alarms and detectors shown on every floor.
- Schedule the rooms
Each bedroom area set against its minimum.
- Apply with the other documents
Plans go in with the gas, electrical and fire certificates.
What the council wants on the plan
Among the documents the page lists is floor plans showing fire exits, hard-wired smoke alarms and heat detectors, and it says the plan does not need to be professionally drawn. That is honest advice and we will not pretend otherwise: a landlord can mark up a plan.
Where a drawn plan earns its fee is accuracy. A plan with the exits and detectors in the wrong places, or room sizes taken from a brochure, sits badly next to a fire risk assessment and an inspector's measurements. Ours is drawn from a measured survey and marked from your assessment.
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.
The fee goes up with households
For applications submitted from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, the council's fee is a first-stage payment of £696.14 plus a second stage that rises with the number of households. The totals run from £1,865.34 for two households to £2,728.51 for ten or more. A £35 discount applies to the second part if you show proof of accreditation, and a paper application costs an extra £139.23.
Because the first stage is paid when you submit, it is worth having the plans and certificates complete before you press the button. The council's fee is separate and is paid to the council.
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 lists the measured area of every bedroom next to the number of people it is intended for.
The council's page also warns that you cannot evict anyone without a licence and tenants can reclaim up to 12 months' rent. That is a reason to treat the paperwork as part of the tenancy, not an afterthought.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| additional licence for 3 or 4 people | Redbridge Council, HMO licensing: mandatory licence for 5 or more people in 2 or more households; additional licence for 3 or 4 people in 2 or more households | www.redbridge.gov.uk |
| 18 September 2023 to 17 September 2028 | Redbridge Council news, 18 Sept 2023: additional scheme approved 30 May 2023, in force Monday 18 September 2023 and ceases to have effect on 17 September 2028 unless revoked | www.redbridge.gov.uk |
| floor plans showing fire exits and alarms | Redbridge Council, HMO licensing, what you need: floor plans showing fire exits, hard-wired smoke alarms and heat detectors; it does not need to be done by an architect or surveyor | www.redbridge.gov.uk |
| £1865.34 | Redbridge Council, HMO licensing fees for applications 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027: 2 households total £1,865.34 (first stage £696.14) | www.redbridge.gov.uk |
| £2728.51 | Redbridge Council, HMO licensing fees 2026/27: 10 or more households total £2,728.51 | www.redbridge.gov.uk |
| £35 discount; £139.23 paper | Redbridge Council, HMO licensing: £35 discount on the second part with proof of accreditation; extra £139.23 for a paper application | www.redbridge.gov.uk |
| up to 12 months rent | Redbridge Council, HMO licensing: you will not be able to evict anyone without a licence; tenants can reclaim from you up to 12 months' rent | www.redbridge.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 shared house of three people in Redbridge need a licence?
Do I need a professional to draw the floor plan?
What does the council charge?
Is the council's fee in your price?
Photographs: Tim Green from Bradford (CC BY 2.0).
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