HMO licensing in Plymouth

Which licences a rented house needs in Plymouth, and where. England. Checked 7 September 2026.

Mandatory HMO licensing only in Plymouth.

Mandatory HMO licence: 5 or more people forming 2 or more households sharing facilities.

Additional licensing

Extends HMO licensing to smaller HMOs (typically 3 or 4 people) in a designated area.

Could not be verified from the council page

HTTP 403 on both council HMO pages and a TLS certificate error on the democracy.plymouth.gov.uk HMO policy PDF. Council search snippet states additional and selective licensing powers have not been adopted in Plymouth, not verified.

Selective licensing

Every privately rented home in a designated area needs a licence, HMO or not.

Could not be verified from the council page

Council pages unreadable (HTTP 403); search snippet says selective licensing has not been adopted, not verified.

Council HMO page · HMO Article 4 in Plymouth

Check an exact postcode for Article 4

Is a postcode inside an HMO Article 4 area?

See this on every listing.Kerbio puts the Article 4 answer, licensing, the council's HMO register and sold prices on the Rightmove, Zoopla or OnTheMarket page itself. Free for 7 days, then £39 a month.

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Sources: Plymouth council, gov.uk HMO licensing. Schemes change; confirm with the council before you offer.