Oxford · 2026 fees
Landlord licence fees Oxford 2026
Every HMO in Oxford, whatever its size, must be licensed, because a citywide additional scheme sits alongside mandatory large-HMO licensing. The current designation came into force on 25 June 2026 and runs five years, replacing the 2021 one that ended on 9 June 2026. Two things catch landlords out. The fee is banded by the kind of application, not by the size of the house, and a standard new licence lasts one year, not five, so the real cost is the renewal you pay every year until you qualify for a longer one. The figures below are the council’s own, for 1 April 2026 onwards.
| Scheme | Council | Fee | Term | Notes / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMO licence (standard new) | Oxford City Council | £858Council’s figure | 1 yrs | Category B from 1 April 2026: £407 at stage one with the application and £451 at stage two, for a one-year licence. Let an HMO unlicensed for more than 12 weeks and the higher rate applies instead, £3,190. Oxford charges £315 more for a paper application form. Council page |
| HMO licence (standard renewal) | Oxford City Council | £392Council’s figure | 1 yrs | Category C from 1 April 2026: £130 at stage one and £262 at stage two, where there are no management concerns. A renewal needing re-inspection is £744. Meet the two-year criteria and it is £432; meet the five-year criteria and it is £610, which is the cheapest way to hold a licence here. A pre-application advice visit is £280. Council page |
How to read these Oxford licence fees
Which fee applies depends on the type of licence a property needs. Three regimes operate across England, and the schedule above covers HMO licence (standard new) and HMO licence (standard renewal) in Oxford:
- Mandatory HMO licence, required for any house in multiple occupation with five or more people forming two or more households, anywhere in England.
- Additional HMO licence, which a council can extend HMO licensing to smaller shared houses inside a designated area.
- Selective licence, covering most or all privately rented homes (not just HMOs) within a specific designated zone, set in five-yearly cycles.
Fees are set per council, usually run for a five-year term and are commonly charged per property, though some authorities add a per-room element for larger HMOs. Following the Hemming and Gaskin court rulings, many councils now split the cost into a Part A application charge and a Part B grant charge, so the headline figure can be payable in two stages. Early-application and accreditation discounts are widely available and can cut the total noticeably.
Because each authority sets and reviews its own schedule independently, two neighbouring councils can differ by hundreds of pounds for the same property. Budget from the specific council’s current fee page, linked in the table, rather than a city-wide average.
FAQs: landlord licence fees in Oxford
How much does a landlord licence cost in Oxford in 2026?
Oxford City Council publishes these fees: HMO licence (standard new) £858 and HMO licence (standard renewal) £392. Each covers 1 years and came straight off the council page linked beside each row, checked on 20 September 2026. The table shows how a fee splits between the application and the grant, and which discounts come off. Most councils reprice on 1 April.
Are licence fees per property or per landlord?
Per property. If you own multiple let properties in designated areas, each one typically needs its own licence and fee. Some councils run portfolio discounts for accredited landlords.
What happens if I let without a licence?
Letting a property that requires a selective or HMO licence without one is a criminal offence. Civil penalties reach £40,000 for offences from 1 May 2026, and tenants can apply for a Rent Repayment Order of up to two years’ rent. Ignorance of the scheme is not a defence.
Do licence fees change year to year?
Yes. Most councils reprice on 1 April and a new scheme cycle can move the fee further. The amounts above are Oxford City Council's published figures as at 20 September 2026; the council link beside each row is always the live position.
Can I claim licence fees as a rental expense?
HMRC generally treats landlord licence fees as a deductible rental business expense for income tax where the licence is required to let the property. If the fee covers more than one tax year you may need to apportion it. Check with your accountant for your circumstances.
Related
Other cities
