Shared Houses in Bristol: Planning Permission, a Licence, or Both? Check by Ward and Article 4 Area
Bristol tests a shared house twice: a licence that depends on people and ward, and planning permission that depends on the street. Check both, see the five licence fees, the 13 Article 4 areas, the 10 per cent rule and what a mistake costs. From the council's own pages.
Updated
In Bristol a shared house has to pass two separate tests, and passing one says nothing about the other. The licence follows the number of people living there and the ward the house stands in. Planning permission follows the street and the Article 4 area. Many landlords get the first right and discover the second when a neighbour complains.
Six parts, in order
Run your house through both tests
Four answers are enough. The checker does not know your address, so it asks for the ward and the Article 4 area, which you can look up on the council's maps (section 6 has the links).
Licence schemes and what the council charges
Since 6 August 2024 Bristol licences every house in multiple occupation, meaning three or more people from two or more households sharing a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. Five or more people means a mandatory licence. Three or four means the citywide additional licence. In five wards the council also licenses ordinary rented homes.
| Scheme | Applies to | Total fee | Paid as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory HMO | 5 or more people, 2 or more households, anywhere in Bristol | £1,886 (renewal £1,564) | £1,121 then £765 (renewal £929 then £635) |
| Citywide additional HMO, from 6 August 2024 | 3 or 4 people, outside the three wards below | £1,861 (renewal £1,470) | £1,023 then £838 (renewal £808 then £662) |
| Additional HMO in Bedminster, Brislington West and Horfield, from 6 April 2022 | 3 or 4 people in those wards | £1,300 | £1,000 then £300 |
| Selective, Bedminster and Brislington West, from 6 April 2022 | One or two tenants or a family, not an HMO | £799 | £499 then £300 |
| Selective, Bishopston and Ashley Down, Cotham and Easton, from 6 August 2024 | One or two tenants or a family, not an HMO | £912 | £467 then £445 |
Every licence lasts five years and each property needs its own. A new landlord has 28 days from the day the property is occupied to apply. A mandatory licence covers you, so you never need an additional one as well.
Two £150 discounts on the second payment
One for holding the accredited level of a West of England Rent with Confidence provider when you apply. One for sending satisfactory copies of the gas safety record (under 12 months old), the electrical report (under five years, free of C1, C2 and FI codes) and an EPC no older than ten years and at least band E.
Who produces those papers
The gas record comes from a gas safety certificate engineer, the electrical report from an EICR testing company and the EPC from an EPC assessor. Send the papers in before the licence is issued and the £150 comes off the second payment.
Where Bristol removed the right to turn a home into a shared house
Nationally a house or flat can become a small HMO, for up to six unrelated people, without a planning application. In the areas below the council has removed that right, so the change needs permission. The last six areas were confirmed after consultation and start on 1 January 2027.
| Article 4 area | Starts | Status on 13 November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Clifton West | 21 October 2012 | In force |
| Redland | 21 October 2012 | In force |
| Lawrence Hill, Ashley, Cabot, Cotham and Clifton East | 11 December 2011 | In force |
| Avonmouth Village | 29 June 2020 | In force |
| North Bristol | 29 June 2020 | In force |
| South Bristol | 29 June 2020 | In force |
| East Bristol | 29 June 2020 | In force |
| Brislington | 1 January 2027 | Not yet: confirmed, starts that day |
| Frome Vale | 1 January 2027 | Not yet: confirmed, starts that day |
| Purdown | 1 January 2027 | Not yet: confirmed, starts that day |
| Southmead and Horfield | 1 January 2027 | Not yet: confirmed, starts that day |
| St George | 1 January 2027 | Not yet: confirmed, starts that day |
| Westbury Park | 1 January 2027 | Not yet: confirmed, starts that day |
Seven or more people is a different case: the council's own guidance says an HMO with more than six occupants falls in no use class, so ask the planning team before you start. The licence decision never depends on planning permission, and planning permission is no licence.
The ten per cent test and the sandwich test
Ten per cent within 100 metres
The council's HMO guidance, adopted on 3 November 2020, says a new HMO is unlikely to fit the Local Plan if it would take more than 10% of the homes within 100 metres of the property into HMO use. The radius is measured from the property's point on the council's address gazetteer.
The sandwich
A family home sandwiched between two HMOs is the other red flag: for example up to three single homes between two single HMOs, or a flat whose neighbours above and below are both HMOs.
Both tests say "unlikely to be consistent". They steer a decision, they do not forbid anything outright. The council's Pinpoint map shows the HMOs it has identified, so you can count before you apply.
What it costs to get either test wrong
No licence
The council adds £140 to the fee for a mandatory licence it finds you should have held, £140 for an additional or selective one elsewhere in the city and £100 in Bedminster, Brislington West or Horfield. Beyond that it may prosecute with no cap on the fine, impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000, take over management of the property or order up to 24 months' rent repaid.
No planning permission
Working in an Article 4 area without permission is a planning breach, and the council can open an enforcement case. The cheaper route is to speak to a local architect or a chartered surveyor before you buy, because a house bought for its rooms can turn out to be undeliverable as an HMO.
Checking a house, a landlord or your own paperwork
- Is this house licensed? Open the council's Pinpoint map, tick the four property licence layers and look for a house icon. Names and addresses of holders are not shown online. You can email the council for the full entry on up to four properties a month.
- Do I need a licence? The council's online form asks the first questions and works it out for you, with the maps for the three licence areas.
- Hiring help. A letting agent, a student letting agent or a property manager should tell you which licence applies before they take instructions. Buying a house for sharing? Ask your conveyancing solicitor and a chartered surveyor to confirm the planning and licence history, and check student accommodation providers for purpose-built rooms, which sit outside the HMO definition.
- Parking. A house converted to flats or an HMO can be classed car free, so read the parking permit guide before you promise tenants a space.
Fees and dates: how fresh they are
All figures were read on 13 November 2026 from Bristol City Council's pages and its HMO guidance. The council's cost pages carry no date of their own, so confirm the fee when you apply. We did not open the online licence application or the Pinpoint map, which need a browser session, and the Article 4 start dates are those the council printed. This guide is general information and not legal advice.
- Check if you need a property licence and apply, Bristol City Council
- Mandatory HMO licence fee and discounts
- Additional HMO and selective property licence fees
- Properties without a licence: extra charges and penalties
- Register of licensed properties
- Restrictions on permitted development (Article 4 Directions)
- Managing the development of houses in multiple occupation, supplementary planning document, adopted 3 November 2020
- West of England Rent with Confidence accreditation