Selective Licensing in Bristol

Bristol now has citywide additional HMO licensing plus selective licensing in multiple wards, layered on top of Article 4 in the classic HMO belt. You cannot treat it as a light-touch South West city any more.

What selective schemes exist and where

Bedminster and Brislington West (Selective Scheme 1)

• Type: Selective licensing for all private-rented housing in these two wards.
• Start: 6 April 2022.
• End: 5 April 2027.
• Coverage: Every privately rented property (single-lets and small sharers) in Bedminster and Brislington West, unless already HMO-licensed or exempt.

Bishopston and Ashley Down, Cotham, Easton (Selective Scheme 2)

• Type: Selective licensing covering "most other types of privately rented properties" in these wards.
• Start: 6 August 2024.
• End: 5 August 2029.

Coverage:

• Bishopston and Ashley Down
• Cotham
• Easton

All privately rented homes in these wards except HMOs already under mandatory or citywide additional HMO licensing.

So by 2026 you have selective licensing in five high-demand wards, plus additional HMO licensing across the whole city.

Fees and basic conditions

Selective licence fees

From Bristol's fee page:

Bedminster / Brislington West selective licence:

• Total: GBP 799 for up to 5 years.
• Part 1: GBP 499 on application.
• Part 2: GBP 300 on grant (less any discounts).

Bishopston and Ashley Down / Cotham / Easton:

• Total: GBP 912.
• Part 1: GBP 467 on application.
• Part 2: GBP 445 on grant (less discounts).

Additional HMO licence fees (context)

Citywide additional HMO licence (most 3-4 sharers): GBP 1,861 first-time.

• Part 1: GBP 1,023.
• Part 2: GBP 838.

Renewals are lower (about GBP 1,470 total), but still heavy.

Conditions

Selective licences come with the usual PRS conditions:

• Property must be free of serious hazards, with proper heating, electrics and structural safety.
• Working smoke alarms and CO detectors, valid gas safety, EICR and EPC.
• Fit-and-proper landlord test.
• Written tenancy agreements, deposit protection, and processes for dealing with ASB and waste.

HMOs then add minimum room sizes, amenity ratios and fire-safety conditions on top through the mandatory/additional licence.

Fees are per property, last up to 5 years, and are split into two payments as standard across Bristol.

How this sits with additional HMO licensing and Article 4

Citywide additional HMO scheme

From 6 August 2024, Bristol runs a citywide additional HMO licensing scheme:

• Most 3-4-person HMOs anywhere in Bristol now need a licence, unless already mandatory HMO.

So in selective areas you get:

• 3-4 sharers: additional HMO licence (GBP 1,861) rather than selective.
• Single-lets / 2 sharers: selective licence (GBP 799 or GBP 912).

Article 4

Bristol already had Article 4 directions covering classic HMO areas: Cotham, Redland, Clifton, Bishopston, Ashley Down, parts of Horfield, Easton and central wards (per HMO planning guidance).

That means new 3-6-bed HMOs in these areas need planning permission as well as licensing.

Result: in Bedminster, Brislington West, Bishopston and Ashley Down, Cotham and Easton you are juggling:

1. Article 4 planning (for HMOs).
2. Mandatory or additional HMO licence for 3+ sharers.
3. Selective licence for everything else that is rented.

Penalties, enforcement and exemptions

Enforcement

Bristol's cabinet reports and landlord briefings emphasise using licensing to tackle:

• Fire safety and overcrowding.
• Poor conditions in central HMOs.
• ASB and waste in dense terraces.

Under Housing Act 2004:

• Managing or controlling a licensable property without a licence is a criminal offence, carrying unlimited fines on prosecution.
• The council can issue civil penalties up to GBP 30,000 per offence and back Rent Repayment Orders for up to 12 months' rent, which new Renters' Rights Act rules will extend in serious cases.

Bristol has a track record of using CPNs and licence conditions aggressively; landlord-side commentary calls the HMO fee "staggering" and explicitly warns that the council treats late applications as unlicensed.

Exemptions

Standard statutory exemptions:

• PBSA / halls, certain social housing, long leases, business tenancies.
• Properties already under mandatory/additional HMO licensing are exempt from selective (you do not double-pay).

But in practice, in the five selective wards, almost every private rented house or flat either needs a selective licence or an HMO licence.

Application process

Everything goes through the council's online property licensing portal.

You pick the type of licence and postcode, the system works out whether selective or HMO applies.

Pay Part 1 when you submit, Part 2 when the council agrees to issue the licence.

If you sit on it and wait for a reminder letter, they treat you as unlicensed and can add extra fees and penalties.

Impact on the Bristol market and landlord response

The Eastville / St George schemes (2016-21) improved over 3,000 properties; that evidence underpins the current expansion.

Agents report:

• Higher compliance costs and capex, particularly for HMOs needing upgrades for the citywide additional scheme.
• Some small landlords selling out or avoiding the selective wards.
• Professional student and sharer operators absorbing the GBP 1,861 HMO fee and GBP 800-900 selective fee as part of doing business in a high-demand city.

Bristol is now often cited alongside Brighton, Oxford, Nottingham as a top-tier regulated HMO city. Councils elsewhere are watching how the combination of citywide HMO licensing plus selective patches works in practice.

What Bristol forums get wrong

Myth 1: "Selective licensing is just a tiny scheme in Eastville that ended years ago."

Reality: The Eastville/St George scheme ended, but since 6 April 2022 selective licensing covers all PRS in Bedminster and Brislington West, and from 6 August 2024 there is a second scheme in Bishopston and Ashley Down, Cotham and Easton.

Myth 2: "Additional HMO licensing is just central Bristol, my 4-bed in Horfield is fine."

Reality: From 6 August 2024, an additional HMO licensing scheme covers all wards in the city: almost every 3-4-sharer HMO now needs a licence, not just central ones.

Myth 3: "The selective licence fee is just a token GBP 100-200."

Reality: Fees are GBP 799 in Bedminster/Brislington West and GBP 912 in Bishopston and Ashley Down/Cotham/Easton, split into two instalments and applied per property. The citywide additional HMO licence is GBP 1,861 first time.

Myth 4: "Bristol is still easier than Brighton / Oxford, lots of stuff slips through."

Reality: You now have citywide additional HMO licensing, selective schemes in five wards, plus Article 4 across the main HMO belt. Late or missing applications are treated as unlicensed, and landlord groups describe the HMO fees as "staggering".

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