Answer a few questions. Get your likely star rating, the licence length it gives you, what that costs at your council — and the specific things to fix that save you the most.
The free part takes three minutes. No account, no card, no email.
Start the free assessmentEvery council charges an application fee when you apply or renew, and a licence fee when the licence is granted. The application fee is payable every renewal cycle. So if you hold a 1-year licence you pay it every year; if you hold a 3-year licence you pay it once every three years.
Your star rating decides your licence length. Higher standards met, longer licence, lower cost per year — every year, for as long as you trade.
| Your rating | Licence | Cost per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 stars | 1 year | £435.00 |
| 3–4 stars | 2 years | £244.50 |
| 5 stars | 3 years | £177.50 |
Renewal application £227, plus the licence fee for the term. Source: Hounslow animal welfare licensing fees 2026-27. Eighteen councils checked — the direction holds everywhere, the amount varies from £48 to £500 a year.
After your inspection, the council hands you a list of the standards you failed. That's useful — but it's too late to change the outcome of that inspection, and fixing it afterwards means paying for a re-rating visit. StarGrade works before that: which gaps to close, in what order, what each one costs you, and what it's worth.
You have to apply to renew at least 10 weeks before your licence expires — that is the rule in DEFRA's statutory guidance, and most councils state it. But the inspection can then take another ten weeks. So the gaps have to be closing before you apply, not after.
Miss the deadline and some councils treat you as a brand new applicant: your star rating resets, your compliance history goes, and you are back on a one-year licence. Others stop you trading until the new licence is issued. We email you before any of that.
Free. Nothing is sent anywhere unless you choose to.
No account. Nothing sent. Use it once a year.
You'll be able to subscribe here.