Landlord licensing in Gosport Council

Licensing at a glance

HMO licensing

Mandatory HMO licensing applies to any property let to five or more people forming two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. Gosport Council does not currently operate additional or selective licensing schemes.

Additional licensing

Gosport Council has not introduced an additional licensing scheme for smaller HMOs at this time. Should one be introduced, it would extend licensing to HMOs not covered by mandatory licensing.

Selective licensing

Gosport Council has not introduced a selective licensing scheme. If a scheme were introduced, it could require a licence for every private rented home in a designated area, including single-family lets.

Towns covered

Gosport

What this means for you

If you let a property in the Gosport Council area, the first job is to confirm which licensing regime the exact address falls under. Mandatory HMO licensing applies to any property let to five or more people forming two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. Gosport Council has not introduced additional or selective licensing schemes. However, designations run for up to five years and can be ward or street specific. The Renters' Rights Act 2025, with main provisions commencing in 2026, replaces fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies with periodic assured tenancies, ends section 21 no-fault evictions, and introduces a national landlord database and ombudsman. Whatever the licensing position, keep the same evidence pack for every Gosport Council tenancy: a current gas safety record where there is gas, an EICR no more than five years old, a valid EPC, working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, deposit protection and prescribed information, and the required prescribed documents served before the tenancy starts.

Official links

• Licensing pages
• Council website