Managing Licences and Conditions

Every Licence a Hospitality Venue Holds, and When Each One Renews

The complete list of licences, permits, certificates and registrations a pub, restaurant or hotel holds, with the renewal cycle for each and a free tracker

A typical pub holds more than a dozen licences, permits, certificates and registrations, issued by six or seven different bodies, renewing on different cycles, and a lapse in any of them is somewhere between a fine and a closed venue. The premises licence annual fee is the one that stops trading if it is missed; the gas safety certificate is the one that stops the kitchen; the TV licence and the music licence are the ones that bring an enforcement visit. Most venues track them in the manager's head, which works until the manager leaves. This article lists what a hospitality venue holds and how often each renews, and pairs with the free licence renewal tracker template.

Download the free licence renewal tracker See how Paddl tracks licences and renewals

Key takeaways

A hospitality venue holds well over a dozen licences, permits and certificates from different bodies on different cycles.

The premises licence annual fee, the gas safety certificate and employers' liability insurance are the three that stop trading fastest if missed.

TheMusicLicence, the TV licence, the gaming machine permit fee and the pavement licence all renew on their own anniversaries.

Staff certificates (personal licence, SIA, first aid, food hygiene) belong on the same tracker as the building's documents.

Licensing Act Authorisations

The premises licence does not expire but the annual fee falls due on the anniversary of the grant, and non-payment suspends the licence. The personal licences held by the DPS and other managers no longer expire, but the DPS named on the licence must be current, so a manager leaving is a renewal event in all but name. Temporary event notices are per event, and a register of the 15 notices and 21 days used each calendar year is the only way to know what is left. Where a late night levy applies it is paid with the annual fee.

Copyright, Broadcasting and Gambling

TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS renews annually on the anniversary of issue and the tariff should be re-declared if the venue's use of music changes. The TV licence renews annually. Commercial sports subscriptions run on their own contract terms. The gaming machine notification is one-off but the licensed premises gaming machine permit carries a £50 annual fee. A pavement licence lasts up to two years and must be renewed before it expires or the furniture comes in.

Safety Certificates and Inspections

The gas safety certificate for commercial catering equipment is annual and is the document the insurer and the EHO ask for. Fixed electrical installation condition reports run five years for most premises; portable appliance testing is on a risk-based cycle, usually annual for kitchen equipment. Fire alarm and emergency lighting have annual service certificates and weekly or monthly test records. Extraction canopy cleaning to TR19 is on a cycle set by hours of use, commonly quarterly to annual, and insurers ask for the certificate. Lifts, pressure systems (including coffee machine boilers over a certain size) and fire suppression systems have statutory inspection intervals of their own. Legionella risk assessments are reviewed at least every two years.

Managing Licences and Conditions

Never miss a licence renewal or a condition

Paddl holds every licence, permit and certificate a venue relies on with its expiry date, reminds the right person before it lapses, and turns licence conditions into checks on the routine so a licensing visit finds the records already there.

Start free trial See licence tracking features

Download the free licence renewal tracker

Registrations, Insurance and People

Food business registration with the council is one-off but must be updated when the operator changes. Employers' liability insurance is a legal requirement renewing annually, and public liability, buildings and stock cover renew with it. The food hygiene certificates of the team, the personal licences, first aid certificates (three years), SIA door supervisor licences (three years) and any driver or forklift certification all belong on the same list, because a certificate that lapses on a person is a gap on the premises. Put every one of these on the free licence renewal tracker with the issuing body, the reference, the expiry and a lead time, and review the tracker monthly.

What to do next

Fill in the licence renewal tracker for your venue this week

One row per document: issuing body, reference, expiry, renewal lead time, owner and where the certificate is kept. It takes an hour and replaces the manager's memory.

Review the tracker monthly with a 60-day horizon

Anything expiring in the next 60 days gets started now. Renewals that need an inspection or a course need the lead time.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistake

Tracking the building's certificates but not the people's

Instead

A lapsed SIA licence on the door or a departed DPS is a licence breach as surely as a missed annual fee. Track certificates against the person and the premises.

Frequently asked questions

What licences does a pub need in the UK?

A premises licence with a named DPS holding a personal licence, TheMusicLicence for music, a TV licence for live television, employers' liability insurance, food business registration, a gaming machine notification or permit if it has machines, and a pavement licence for outside seating, plus safety certificates for gas, electrics, fire systems and extraction.

Does a premises licence need renewing?

The licence itself does not expire, but the annual fee must be paid on the anniversary of the grant. If it is not, the licence is suspended and alcohol cannot be sold until it is paid.

Alcohol Licensing