Additional HMO Licensing Scheme Designation

From 5 January 2026 all small Houses in Multiple Occupation with 3 or 4 occupants within the borough will require a licence to operate.

On 11 September 2025, Woking Borough Council’s Executive resolved to designate the Borough of Woking as an area for an Additional Licensing Scheme in relation to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). 

This means that all small Houses in Multiple Occupation with 3 or 4 occupants within the borough will require a licence to operate. 

The Council resolved that:

  1. a borough wide additional licensing scheme (“designation”) for landlords with Houses in Multiple Occupation in Woking, as outlined in Appendix 3 of the report, should be designated
  2. the Additional Licensing designation should come into force on 5 January 2026
  3. the Additional Licensing designation should cease on 4 January 2031
  4. the Director of Legal and Democratic Services should be authorised to take all necessary steps to implement the Executive 11 September 2025 decision in recommendations (i) – (iii) including execution of any document
  5. the fee structure and charges proposed in Appendix 3 of the report are implemented for both the Additional Licensing Scheme and for the Mandatory Licensing Scheme from 5 January 2026
  6. authority be delegated to the Strategic Director for Place to take all necessary steps required to implement the Additional Licensing Scheme to include statutory notification requirements required by law and to make minor amendments to the standards and conditions including amendments to the extent permitted or required by law
  7. authority be delegated to the Strategic Director – Place to undertake any review of the operation of the Additional Licensing Scheme
  8. authority be delegated to the Strategic Director – Place, in consultation with the Portfolio Holders, to make minor amendments to the Housing Standards Licensing Policy. 

Reason: The council’s discretionary power to implement an Additional Licensing scheme are set out in Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004. This enables the council to require additional sizes of Houses in Multiple Occupation to be licensed within a designated area of the borough. 

This Designation has now been made and the scheme will begin on 5 January 2026.

View or download the Additional HMO Licensing Scheme designation.

For more information, go to additional HMO licensing scheme.