Licensing and planning for HMOs in Derbyshire is handled by the district, borough, city or unitary councils, not one county-wide body. That's why the same house can need different paperwork depending on which side of a council boundary it sits.
In Derbyshire, as everywhere in England, a house with five or more people forming two or more households needs a mandatory HMO licence. Some councils go further with additional licensing or Article 4 directions, as the table shows.
HMO rules across Derbyshire's councils
| Council | Additional licensing | Selective licensing | Article 4 (small HMOs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amber Valley Borough Council | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Bolsover District Council | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Chesterfield Borough Council | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Derby City Council | None found | None found | In part of the area Arboretum ward and parts of seven wards inside the ring road, since 3 May 2025 |
| Derbyshire Dales District Council | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Erewash Borough Council | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Due to start Due to start 6 March 2027: Ilkeston, most of Long Eaton and parts of Sandiacre and Sawley |
| High Peak Borough Council | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| North East Derbyshire District Council | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| South Derbyshire District Council | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
Checked October 2026. Mandatory licensing for five or more people applies in every council. Schemes change, so we confirm the position for the address before work starts.
Councils in Derbyshire where we found an Article 4 direction for small HMOs in force, in all or part of their area: Derby City Council. Article 4 directions are due to start or proposed in: Erewash Borough Council. We found no additional licensing schemes in force that we could confirm, so the mandatory licence for five or more people is the main one to plan for.
How we handle HMO kitchen and bathroom work in Derbyshire
We design and fit communal kitchens and shared bathrooms for HMOs in Derbyshire, sized to the amenity standards the local council applies to the number of people in the house. Those standards differ between councils, so we check the current version for Derbyshire before drawing anything.
Fittings for houses in Derbyshire are chosen for heavy daily use: sealed worktops, wipe-clean wall panels, separate food storage and isolation valves on every fitting. Across Derbyshire, each kitchen gets the heat detection and fire blanket the fire risk assessment calls for.
- Isolation valves on every fitting
- Heat detection and fire blanket where required
- Layout sized to your council's amenity standards
- Heavy-duty units, sealed worktops and slip-resistant flooring
- Separate food storage space for each occupant