Most of the cost and risk in an HMO is decided at the design stage. In Leamington Spa we start by measuring every room and checking Warwick District Council's position on licensing and planning, then build the specification around it.
Quotes list each item of work, so you can see where the money goes and compare like for like.
HMO rules in Warwick District Council
| Rule | Warwick District Council |
|---|---|
| Mandatory HMO licence (5+ people) | In force everywhere in England |
| Additional HMO licensing | In force Whole district, from 18 January 2024 for five years |
| Selective licensing | Not confirmed |
| Article 4 direction for small HMOs | In part of the area The whole of Leamington Spa, since 1 April 2012 |
Checked October 2026 against Warwick District Council's HMO licensing page. Schemes change, so we confirm the position for your address before any work starts.
Warwick District Council's Article 4 direction covers the whole of Leamington Spa, so turning a family house in Leamington Spa into a small HMO needs planning permission. We check the planning history of the address as part of any licence work. Seven or more occupants always needs planning permission. Warwick District Council also runs additional licensing across its whole area (from 18 January 2024 for five years), so smaller HMOs with three or four people from two or more households need a licence too.
Our HMO compliance audit service in Leamington Spa
An audit of an HMO in Leamington Spa checks the house the way a licensing officer would: room sizes, fire safety, amenities, certificates and paperwork. You get a written, prioritised fix list, so you know what needs doing before an inspection, renewal or purchase.
Councils across Warwickshire set their own HMO standards on top of the national rules. Our audits of houses in Leamington Spa check against both, and we can quote for any work the report identifies once you have read it.
- Every bedroom measured, including the 1.5 m ceiling rule
- Written report with a prioritised, photographed fix list
- Management Regulations 2006 duties checked on site
- Fire precautions and fire risk assessment reviewed
- Licence conditions checked against the house as it is
Letting to students and sharers in Leamington Spa
If the house in Leamington Spa is let to students or sharers, up-to-date certificates, measured plans and a current fire risk assessment make any council inspection more straightforward, and they are usually asked for with a licence application.