Council licensing report

Landlord licensing in Southampton

Southampton runs at least one local property licensing scheme. Some rules apply to the whole council. Others apply only to listed streets, wards, or mapped areas, so the postcode alone does not always give a yes-or-no answer.

What landlords need to know

Status

Southampton

Additional HMO

Mandatory HMO (national)

Selective licensing: None listed
Additional HMO licensing: 1 active
Mandatory HMO licensing: Applies nationally
Local scheme coverage: Listed streets or areas
Active local schemes: 1 active scheme
Last checked: 22 May 2026

Selective licensing in Southampton

Who is covered, fees, dates and exemptions.

HMO licensing in Southampton

Mandatory and additional HMO rules with thresholds.

Check a postcode and address in Southampton

Enter the postcode to confirm the council, then pick the address. If a scheme uses a street list, we check the selected street against it and give a direct yes or no.

Local schemes in Southampton

Southampton additional HMO licensing 2025 to 2030

Additional HMO licensing · active · Listed wards · 1 Oct 2025 to 30 Sept 2030

Coverage: Listed wards
Fee: £953

Southampton additional HMO licensing applies in Banister and Polygon, Bargate, Bassett, Bevois, Freemantle, Millbrook, Portswood, Shirley and Swaythling wards to smaller HMOs and HMOs within purpose-built accommodation blocks.

Show the 9 wards covered by this scheme

Banister & Polygon, Bargate, Bassett, Bevois, Freemantle, Millbrook, Portswood, Shirley, Swaythling.

How each scheme is scoped in Southampton

A property licensing scheme is not the same everywhere. A council can designate the whole borough, a handful of wards, a list of streets, or a boundary drawn on a map. Whichever option Southampton chose changes how confident you can be from the postcode alone.

Southampton additional HMO licensing 2025 to 2030

This scheme covers 9 named wards. The postcode confirms the council, but the address has to fall inside one of those wards before the licence applies.

Common rental setups in Southampton

The right licence depends on who lives in the property, how the household is structured, and where the property sits in the council area. These are the situations we see most often, with what Southampton's current rules say about each.

Single tenant in a flat or studio

No licence needed

One adult renting a self-contained flat or a studio with their own kitchen and bathroom.

No landlord licence is needed under current Southampton rules. Mandatory HMO licensing does not apply because this is one household.

Couple renting a whole house

No licence needed

Two people from one household renting an entire house on one tenancy.

No landlord licence is needed under current Southampton rules. Mandatory HMO licensing does not apply because this is one household.

Family renting a whole house

No licence needed

Parents and dependent children from one household renting an entire house.

No landlord licence is needed under current Southampton rules. Mandatory HMO licensing does not apply because this is one household.

Three sharers from different households

Licence needed

Three friends or three unrelated tenants on a joint tenancy, sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Needs an additional HMO licence if the address is inside Southampton's scheme area. Mandatory HMO licensing only kicks in at five or more occupiers, so this property is not in scope of the national rule.

Four sharers from different households

Licence needed

Four unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Five or more sharers from different households

Licence needed

Five or more unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Needs a mandatory HMO licence anywhere in England. The five-or-more, two-or-more-households test is national, not council-specific. Southampton's additional HMO scheme can add conditions on top inside the designated area.

Lodger with a live-in landlord

No licence needed

Owner-occupier letting a room to one or two lodgers in their own home.

Letting to a lodger while you live in the property is exempt from HMO licensing in most cases. Selective licensing exemptions also normally cover owner-occupier lets.

Student house of five

Licence needed

Five students from at least two households sharing a converted house.

Buying a property in Southampton

A property licence does not transfer when a property changes hands. If you buy a let property that needs a licence under Southampton's rules, the existing licence ends and you need to apply for a new one in your own name. The seller's solicitor should disclose any existing licence and any open enforcement notices.

For conveyancing in Southampton, ask three things before exchange. First, is the property inside any current selective or additional HMO scheme area. Second, is there an active licence in the seller's name and on what conditions. Third, has the council issued a civil penalty, banning order or rent repayment order against the seller in the last six years.

Owner-occupiers buying to live in the property do not need a licence. The rules only apply when a property is rented out.

Talk to Southampton directly

Anything on this page that you cannot find an answer to, the council's licensing team can confirm in minutes.

Email the licensing team

[email protected]

Phone the licensing team

023 8083 3006

Apply for a licence

Application form on Southampton's website

Public licence register

Search licensed properties in Southampton

Official licensing page

Southampton council guidance

Council postcode checker

Southampton's own street or postcode lookup