Lets · Piece
HMO licences in Cambridge: the plumbing and heating duties
An HMO licence in Cambridge is required for 5 or more people in 2 or more households. The city's fee is £1,133 for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, and gas, heating and water duties sit alongside it.
Most useful for: Landlords of shared houses in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire
Compiled from the sources at the end. Updated .
A licence is one duty among several. The gas record, alarms, electrical inspection and repair duties come from other laws, and the licence does not replace them. In an older terrace, extra bathrooms and showers are often where plumbing and licensing meet, so read this before planning any conversion.
When does a house need a licence?
GOV.UK says an HMO has 3 or more tenants, in more than one household, sharing facilities, and a large one has 5 or more. Under the 2018 Order, a mandatory licence applies to 5 or more persons in 2 or more households.
Older wording about "3 storeys or more" still appears on a South Cambs legislation page, and it is out of date. Cambridge City Council adds a purpose-built flat in a block of up to two flats with 5 or more occupants, and takes registration online.
Additional licensing is a separate question, and the answer can change. Ask the housing team at Cambridge City or South Cambs directly about your address before relying on any general statement.
How do Cambridge and South Cambs differ?
Both councils apply the national test, but each publishes its own material. Which one you deal with depends on the address, and the fee quoted here applies only to the city.
| Point | Cambridge City | South Cambs |
|---|---|---|
| Licence test | 5 or more persons in 2 or more households, plus the small block of flats case | National test, with one page carrying older storey wording |
| Fee | £1,133, or £1,000 at least 8 weeks before expiry, 2026-27 | Licence fees published by the council |
| Standards | PRS Housing Standard and standards for college properties | Amenity standards |
| Register | Online | Published with its HMO guidance |
Read the amenity or housing standards before pricing a kitchen or bathroom. They are the place to look for local expectations on shared facilities, and this page does not repeat them.
What must keep working?
Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 covers installations for water, gas, electricity, sanitation, space heating and heating water, as well as structure, drains, gutters and external pipes. It applies subject to sections 13 and 14. The repairs page deals with what happens when something fails.
Three dated duties also run in parallel:
- Gas: a check of each appliance and flue every 12 months, with copies to tenants. See gas safety records.
- Electrics: inspect and test at least every 5 years, and report to tenants within 28 days.
- Alarms: smoke alarms on each storey used as living accommodation, and carbon monoxide alarms in rooms with a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers.
Legionella is another duty, and HSE says most homes are low risk, as the legionella page explains.
What if an old house gets more bathrooms?
More showers mean more plumbing rules. The Water Fittings Regulations put duties on owners, occupiers and anyone working on the system, and regulation 5 requires notice and consent for some works, including pumps over 12 litres a minute on a supply pipe and baths over 230 litres. A WaterSafe approved plumber can issue a work completed certificate.
Part P makes additions or alterations around a bath or shower notifiable, so use an electrician. If the house is listed, the South Cambs guidance says en-suites require consent, including new partitions, with soil and waste plumbing and ventilation to consider. That is 2009 South Cambs wording, so ask the conservation officer first in either council's area.
Any building built or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos, including bath panels, toilet cisterns and boards around boilers. Do not disturb or sample anything suspect, and tell every contractor before work starts. See asbestos around old boilers.
Who decides and who does it
- Whether a licence is needed
- The council for the address
- Gas checks and boiler work
- A Gas Safe registered engineer
- New circuits and bathroom electrics
- An electrician
- Giving notice of notifiable water fittings
- You or your plumber, to the water company
- Consent on a listed house
- The council, via the conservation officer
Other questions on this
Does a house with four sharers avoid every duty?
No. It may fall outside the mandatory licence, but it can still be an HMO, and the gas, alarm, electrical and repair duties still apply to a rented home. Ask the council whether any other scheme covers the address.
Is the private rented sector database the same as a licence?
No. The PRS Database is separate. Registration opens by region from 15 December 2026, and East of England runs from 15 January to 14 April 2027.
Which Renters' Rights Act dates should an HMO landlord watch?
Phase 1 began on 1 May 2026, ending section 21 for new and existing tenancies. Decent Homes dates for the private sector remain subject to consultation. Ask the council how any change touches your licence.
Does the fee cover a South Cambs house?
No. The £1,133 figure is Cambridge City's. South Cambs publishes its own, so use the South Cambs HMO guidance for those addresses.
Sources, read 4 November 2026: GOV.UK: houses in multiple occupation; Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation Order 2018; Cambridge City Council: HMO licensing; Cambridge City Council: guide for landlords; South Cambs: HMO guidance; South Cambs: amenity standards; Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.11; GOV.UK: electrical safety standards; GOV.UK: smoke and carbon monoxide alarm booklet; DWI: finding a plumber; Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, regulation 5; Approved Document P; South Cambs Listed Buildings guidance, 2009; HSE: asbestos diagrams, domestic; GOV.UK: register your rental property; GOV.UK: Renters' Rights Act roadmap.