Our frequently asked questions have been created to covers a wide range of our services to hopefully answer any queries you have.
Have a question, but can’t find the answer? Contact us at 01276 684 449, or email us at membership@bii.org
The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) was established in 1981 as a membership organisation for people working in the licensed hospitality and pub sector in the UK.
The BII is currently overseen by our Chief Executive Officer, Steve Alton, who joined the company in 2019. Alongside Steve, our senior leadership team oversee the day to day running of the business, supported by our Membership, Communications and Finance teams. You can click here to view our BII Team here.
The BII is a registered charity and membership organisation that exists to support and raise professional standards in the licensed retail and hospitality industry. It’s governed by trustees and registered with the UK Charity Commission under charity number 283945.
The strength of the BII has always been our amazing network of licensed trade professionals, with the vast majority of our members running independent pub businesses across the UK. Getting involved in our awards and events where you can meet and network is a great start. Whether connecting with other members local to you or finding like-minded operators.
You can use various tools throughout the website to find members near to you.
As a member of the BII, you will be given post-nominals to use. A new member of the BII is an MBII (Member). If you have been in the trade for over ten years and a member of the BII for more than three, you can be upgraded, free of charge, to an FBII (Fellow).
We also award our highest grade of membership once a year at our Summer Event, the CBII (Companion). This recognises those who have truly gone above and beyond to support the BII, our aims, and champion the licensed trade in everything they do.
If you think you qualify to become a Fellow, please get in touch with the team on 01276 684 449.
The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) is the professional body for individuals working in the UK pub and hospitality sector. Its role is to support, develop, and represent people at every stage of their pub career, from those new to the industry to experienced operators.
The BII does this against our three pillars – Support, Develop, Inspire by:
The BII exists to help individuals and businesses in the pub and hospitality sector succeed sustainably, responsibly, and professionally.
The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) is for anyone working in, or looking to build a career in, the UK pub and hospitality sector.
This includes:
Whether you are just starting out, or have years of experience, the BII provides training, support, guidance, and a professional community to help you succeed at every stage of your journey.
BII members are at the very heart of everything we do. Our purpose is simple: to strengthen the sector and help pubs thrive.
We use regular surveys to understand our members’ priorities and where we need to focus our efforts. The findings are shared anonymously and used to inform conversations with Government, the media, and the wider sector.
We also work closely with Government through regular roundtables, held both in individual constituencies and in Parliament. These sessions give members the opportunity to speak directly with local and national representatives, sharing honest, first-hand insight into the realities of running a pub.
Our CEO, Steve Alton, regularly takes part in radio and TV interviews, speaking openly about both the successes and the challenges facing the sector, and championing the long-term future of the Great British pub.
The BII are currently leading the Our Pub campaign, encouraging licensees, staff, suppliers, and customers to write to their local MP and make their voices heard.
As a BII member, you gain exclusive access to a suite of invaluable resources tailored to support your business – all of which are included in the membership fee.
Our memberships costs are incredibly affordable, at less than a pint a week, while saving you thousands through supplier discounts, free advice, contract maintenance and more.
An annual membership to the BII is just £165 (+VAT) on Direct Debit.
Join us now here, or on the phone with one of our Membership Team on 01276 684 449.
If you’re an existing member and can’t access your account, our team is here to help. We’re available Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm. Call us on 01276 684 449 or email membership@bii.org, and we’ll get you back up and running.
If you have forgotten your password, you can head to the login page and press ‘forgotten password’ to send you an email to reset your password and help you login in swiftly.
If you’re not yet a member, you can join online or call the same team who can talk you through the benefits of joining and help you become part of something bigger.
As an existing member, you can log in and manage your contact details and more in your account.
Simply log in at the top of the screen and then find “Dashboard” in the top menu.
From there, you can navigate to ‘My Account’ or follow this link, to update your password.
As always, if you need help with anything, our team are on hand Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm on 01276 684 449.
You can find your account number in a variety of places.
If you have a login, either through a BII Membership or BII Training, you can find your account number on the Dashboard in the ‘My Account’ section.
All INNfocus emails will display your membership number at the top of every email for ease of use.
Still struggling to find your account number? You can call our team any time Monday-Friday 9am-5pm on 01276 684 449, and they will be able to assist you.
If you have decided to renew your BII membership, we offer a variety of ways:
If you have decided to cancel your BII membership, there are a variety of ways:
Your membership may expire for several reasons:
If your membership has expired for any reason but you would like to continue your membership, please call our membership team at 01276 684 449.
We host and partner with a variety of events throughout the year. Events, such as our annual BII Summer Event, will have a discounted price for our members.
Our training is continually growing. Currently, our courses are a set price for all customers; however, we will be introducing member only and member discounted courses in the future.
Our BII Team are available to help with any query you have Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. You can either call the team at 01276 684 449 or email us at any time via membership@bii.org. Additionally, during our working hours, a webchat is also available should you prefer.
Many of our helplines are run through trusted external companies who may run other times than our BII Team. If you wish to call one of our helplines outside of the Monday – Friday 9am-5pm, we recommend checking their websites.
INNfocus is our e-newsletter that goes out to members every Monday morning. It is full of industry updates to help our members stay informed on the latest news in the pub sector. This will include Government changes, webinar reminders, industry surveys, details on the benefits you can access, and much more.
If you are a member and currently do not receive INNfocus, you can re-subscribe under “My preferences” in your Dashboard, or you can email marketing@bii.org or call our team on 01276 684 449.
Our BII News magazine is sent out to all members every quarter. If you have not received a magazine this can be down to a few reasons:
If you believe you should have received a magazine and are not an Introductory member, please get in touch with our membership team at membership@bii.org or call them on 01276 684 449, and they correct any incorrect details and send one out to you.
We provide a variety of courses which can be found on our Training page. These courses can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 6 hours to complete. You can find the approximate course length on our Training page.
We recommend you complete our courses on a laptop or desktop computer to minimise compatibility issues accessing the online content of the course. You will need to have the ability to watch videos and answer questions.
Our qualifications, such as Award for Personal Licence Holders, have a limited assessment attempt. If you do not pass first time, you will get one resit free.
Any further resits, you will need to pay an additional fee of £12.50 (+VAT) per resit.
Other courses where an official proctored exam does not take place, there are unlimited attempts for you to complete the course.
The Award for Personal License Holders provide a physical certificate which is sent to your registered address after the completion of this course. Please allow 2-4 weeks for your certificate arrive.
The following courses receive a digital certificate only to certify the completion of the course.
Once you have completed the course, please allow 5 working days for you to receive your digital certificate. Every course has a certificate of completion. Once initially received, you will be able to download your certificate at any time through your “My Documents” tab on your BII account.
If you need help finding your digital certificate or have not received the certificate within 5 working days, you can contact us at training@bii.org or call us at 01276 684 449.
Our Award for Personal Licence Holder qualification is nationally recognised. Obtaining your Award for Personal Licence Holder qualification is a mandatory requirement when applying for your Personal Licence with your local council.
Our qualification courses, once registered, you will have 12 months to complete your course.
Any other course, which is not a qualification, have no time limit to completion.
You can pause and return to your course at any time within 12 months after purchase. To get back to your course you can find the link in your BII Dashboard under “My Training”, there you can find a link to your courses and resume your learning.
Our qualifications, such as Award for Personal Licence Holders, have a limited assessment attempt. If you do not pass first time, you will get one resit free.
Any further resits, you will need to pay an additional fee of £12.50 (+VAT) per resit.
Other courses where an official proctored exam does not take place, there are unlimited attempts for you to complete the course.
Our Award for Personal license Holder qualification is nationally recognised. Obtaining your APLH qualification is a mandatory requirement when applying for your Personal Licence with your local council.
Our Pre-Entry Awareness Training is a required, compulsory step to take on a tied pub tenancy or lease agreement with a pub company or brewery in England and Wales. It is mandated by the Pubs Code for companies with over 500 tied pubs, and by the Tenanted and Leased Codes of Practice for smaller pub companies.
Our other training courses are vetted and approved by experts.
Yes, employers can purchase our training courses for someone else. We provide two purchase options on our Training page. If you wish to purchase a course for someone other than yourself, please choose the “Purchase for someone else” option. We will then be in contact with that person to provide them with the training link.
For all our qualifications, you can read our training policies and procedures here.
Our Trusted Partners are selected suppliers in the industry who hold a high standard of services for the hospitality sector. They have been chosen and vetted by our Trusted Partner team, for our members to have access to the best products and services in the industry. By using our Trusted Partners, you may also receive special discount codes that only BII members get.
Our Trusted Partners go through an intensive interviewing process with our in-house team. They must be supportive of the hospitality industry and provide services to publicans.
You can find the full Trusted Partner Disclaimer here
No BII member is required to use our Trusted Partners in the business, however all Trusted Partners are businesses that cater to the hospitality industry. Trusted Partners may often provide discounts to members on their services.
If you have any feedback that you wish to pass onto us about one of our Trusted Partners, you can contact us at trustedpartners@bii.org. Our emails are monitored Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
Our Accredited Advisors are a network of independent industry experts that cover Chartered Surveyors, F&F (fixtures and fittings) Valuers, Accountants, Building Surveyors, and Solicitors. Having access to a network of independent experts is vital when you’re facing critical decisions for your business, especially when it comes to formal agreements and major life cycle events for your pub business.
Individuals and companies who have a deep understanding of the pub industry and the Pubs Code, as well as a high standard of service can apply to become an Accredited Advisor with the BII. To see a full list of requirements to become an Accredited Advisor, please visit our Accredited Advisor rules page.
Our Accredited Advisors cover Chartered Surveyors, F&F (fixtures and fittings) Valuers, Accountants, Building Surveyors, and Solicitors.
For a company or individual to obtain an Accredited Advisor status, they must face a panel of expert judges, show an understanding of the pub industry and the Pubs Code, as well as provide a high standard of professional services, with a proven track record of supporting pub businesses. You can see the full list of requirements on our Accredited Advisors rules page.
Our Accredited Advisors can range from either individuals or businesses dependant on the requirements of their accreditation field. You can see the full list of requirements for our accreditation on our Accredited Advisor rules page.
Accreditation lasts a year, where after individuals and businesses will have to prove that they still meet all criteria stated in the rules.
If the business or individuals no longer meet the requirements at any point within their term of the accreditation, the accreditation will be rescinded until they are approved again by the expert panel.
In instances where the businesses’ key representative that is attached to the accreditation leaves the business, the business must reapply with a new representative.
If an individual has the accreditation, they may remain an accredited advisor in their new place of work provided they still meet accredited advisor requirements of their sub-sector, and the panel approves their relocation.
To see a more in-depth list of the requirements surrounding Accredited Advisors, please see the rules here.
Taking on your first pub is a huge undertaking, and you need to know as much information as possible before signing any agreement. Joining the BII gives you access to independent, professional advice as well as offering a wide range of information about where to find your pub, what the opportunities and challenges can be and much more.
Whether you are looking for a tenancy or lease, finding out about Turnover Partnership Agreements or buying a pub outright, we can help. Check out our Industry Advice pages for all the information you need no matter the business model and see our Find a Pub page for more information.
The pub sector has a variety of different ways for you to get involved in running a pub. You can be a manager of a venue, a tenant or lessee, running your own business from a site owned by a pub company, a franchise operator, or a free trader – either owning a pub outright or renting from a commercial landlord. If you are looking to run a pub, there are a number of resources available on the BII website, but the best place to start is taking the PEAT (Pre-Entry Awareness Training) course.
Running a pub as a Community Owned venue can be particularly challenging. You need to remember that it is still a business and needs to be run as such – volunteer led organisations need structure and commitment so it is always advisable to have support from organisations that can help.
The BII can help with all aspects of running a pub, but check out Pub is the Hub and the Plunkett Foundation for more information about specifically running a community owned pub.
Rent reviews and other life-cycle events can be complex. We offer all members support via our Landlord and Pubco Helpline. In the first instance, contact our team on 01276 684449 and they can put you in touch with the helpline. We also have our Accredited Advisors – Accountants, Solicitors, Chartered Surveyors, Building Surveyors and Fixtures and Fittings Valuers – who are independently verified and accredited to the highest standards and can help you with professional services, vital to your business.
The Pre-Entry Awareness Training is a required, compulsory step to take on a tied pub tenancy or lease agreement with a pub company or brewery in England and Wales. It is designed to ensure you understand the legal and financial implications of the agreement before signing.
You will also need your Personal Licence and Premise Licence to run a pub. To obtain your Personal Licence you must complete the APLH course and sit the test to receive your qualification. Once the qualification has been completed, you must apply for your Licence with your local council.
While there is no other mandatory training required for running a pub, it’s highly recommended you investigate other training courses to build your knowledge of the pub sector. You can view our Training page for pub specific courses.
Additional to your Personal Licence and PEAT training, you must also have a premises licence. A premises licence allows you to sell alcohol within the pub.
When you apply, you must be or nominate a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS). This is known as a Designated Premises Manager (DPM) in Scotland. The DPS or DPM must possess a Personal Licence to sell alcohol.
Additionally, all licensees must have a comprehensive business plan prior to starting the business.
Other licences may include:
As a BII member, you gain exclusive access to a suite of invaluable resources tailored to support your business growth.
BII members have access to our Pub Co & Landlord Helpline, where we can review your circumstance and put you through to our industry expert. You have access to one-on-one discussions with our experts to work through a course of action and advise you on the best approach for your business.
If you are struggling and need advice you can call up our BII Team helpline, who can pass you onto the most relevant helpline support. You can also receive financial aid from the LTC who help and support people not just with their mental wellbeing, but financially. If you do need financial aid from the LTC, you must have been in the licensed trade for a minimum of 5 years to qualify for financial aid.
We have multiple resources on compliance and legislation in our Resource Hub. If you need compliance and/or legislation advice, you can call our Legal & Licensing Helpline or our Health & Safety Helpline.
If you are struggling with your Pub Company agreement or have a dispute, our BII members have free access to our Pub Co & Landlord helpline, where our industry expert can help you understand and/or advise you on your agreement.
If you need legal advice or support about your contract, BII members can call our Legal & Licensing helpline for free.
If you’re in the UK, there are several ways to become a pub landlord, and the best route depends on how much money you have and how much risk you want to take.
The main options are:
Run a tenanted or leased pub
You can partner with a pub company or brewery to rent one of their pubs. This ends up being a lower upfront cost to you than buying a pub outright. Depending on your agreement with the pub company, you will pay rent directly to the pub company, possibly from profits gained, and may be required to buy beer and other products straight from the pub company.
Become a manager
You can be employed by a pub company or brewery to run one of their pubs for them as a general manager under their managed partnership agreements. This has no financial investment from you as the manager, but also means that you will only get a base salary determined by your contract. This is a good option for those starting out as it gives you good experience in running a pub before taking on one under a lease.
Buy a freehold pub
Should you have the financial means, you can buy the pub outright and run it as a freehold. This means you would own the building and the business. Please note this does not necessarily mean that you automatically own the land the building it on.
In the UK, there isn’t a single “average salary” for a landlord to earn as, for most, the pub landlords wages are paid through a percentage of the profits of the pub. What they earn depends on the type of pub, location, rent, food sales, staffing costs, and whether they own the freehold.
Yes, most pub landlords are self-employed, but it depends on how the pub is operated.
There are three common arrangements:
Tenant or leaseholder (self-employed)
Freehold owner (self-employed)
Managed house manager (employee)
There is no ‘pub landlord licence’, however there are many licences that a pub landlord may be required or expected to have when it comes to running a pub.
Pre-Entry Awareness Training (PEAT)
If this is your first time taking on a pub, it is advised and required by many pub companies to take a pre-entry awareness training course.
The PEAT is designed to help prospective pub landlords understand what running a pub involves before committing to a business. It typically covers:
Personal Licence
Your personal licence allows you to authorise the sale of alcohol. To get on you need to:
Premises Licence
The premise licence belongs to the pub itself and not the pub landlord. The licence allows the sale of alcohol and other licensable actives, such as live music and late-night drinks.
Note: If you take over an existing pub, the licence can often be transferred to you instead.
Food Business Registration
If you plan to serve food in your pub, you must register your business with your local authority at least 28 days before opening. There are no fees for registration.
Food Hygiene Training
While not legally required for every pub landlord, anyone handling food must be properly trained for the role. Most pub landlords take their Level 2 Food Safety Certificate when entering a pub.
Health and Safety Responsibilities
You’ll need appropriate risk assessments, fire safety measures, first aid arrangements, and compliance with food safety and workplace regulations.
Music Licence
If you play copyrighted music, whether live, recorded, TV or radio, you’ll usually need the appropriate music licences. You can find the appropriate licence here
Gaming Machine Permit
If you have fruit machines or similar gaming machines, you may need the appropriate permit or notification. You can find the permit you will need through your local council and there may be a annual fee for this.
In the UK, a pub landlord generally has the legal right to refuse entry to someone or ban them from the premises, provided they do not do so for an unlawful discriminatory reason.
A pub is private property that is open to the public, so the landlord or their staff can decide who is allowed to enter or remain on the premises.
A landlord can typically refuse entry or issue a ban for reasons such as:
However, they cannot refuse entry or ban someone because of a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, such as:
If someone who has been banned returns after being told not to, they may be committing trespass. If they refuse to leave when asked, the landlord can ask the police to assist in removing them, particularly if they are causing a breach of the peace or committing another offence.
Many pubs also operate schemes such as Pubwatch, where local licensed premises share information about individuals who have been involved in violence or serious anti-social behaviour. Someone banned through a Pubwatch scheme may be excluded from multiple participating pubs in the area.
A pub landlord can sign a photograph to verify someone’s identity for certain official applications, provided they meet the relevant criteria.
For example, for a UK passport application (or other applications requiring a countersignatory), a pub landlord may be accepted if they:
A pub landlord is generally considered a person of good standing, similar to a hotel manager or company director.
However, with signing a driving licence, the answer depends:
A pub landlord is the person who is responsible for running a pub. They manage the day-to-day operation of the business, including serving customers, employing staff, ordering stock, ensuring the pub complies with licensing laws, and making the business profitable.
Despite the name, a pub landlord does not necessarily own the building.
A pub landlord might be:
Landlords are often also referred to as publican or pub operator.
The term dates back several centuries. Historically, inns and public houses were often attached to land or buildings owned by an individual who provided accommodation, food and drink to travellers. The person who controlled the premises, whether they owned it or rented it, was known as the landlord, meaning the person in charge of the property (“lord of the land”).
Over time, the word became the traditional title for the person running a pub, even if they didn’t actually own the property. Today, it’s a job title rather than a description of property ownership.
For example:
Pub landlords do not have to live on the premises, although many do.
Whether they live at the pub depends on the type of arrangement and the pub itself.
There are advantages to living on the premises:
However, there are also drawbacks:
Some tenancy agreements do require the landlord to occupy the accommodation, particularly where it’s considered important for the business or security. Others allow the accommodation to be occupied by the landlord’s family or, in some cases, not at all.
Pub landlords usually pay council tax on any residential accommodation they occupy, but the pub business itself is generally subject to business rates, not council tax.
Here’s how it works:
The exact arrangement depends on how the property is assessed by the Valuation Office Agency:
Who actually pays also depends on the tenancy or ownership arrangement:
Whether a pub landlord pays rent depends on how they operate the pub. Many pub landlords do pay rent, but not all.
A pub landlord who runs a tenanted or leased pub usually pays rent to the owner of the property, which is often a brewery or pub company. In addition to rent, they are generally responsible for the day to day running costs of the business, including utilities, staff wages, stock, insurance (depending on the agreement), and other operating expenses. Some tenancy agreements also require the landlord to purchase beer and certain other drinks from the pub company. This arrangement is known as a tied tenancy or beer tie.
A pub landlord who owns the freehold of the pub does not pay rent because they own both the building and the business. However, they are still responsible for other costs, such as any mortgage repayments, business rates, insurance, maintenance, and the general expenses of operating the pub.
A manager of a managed pub does not pay rent because they are an employee of the pub company rather than running the business independently. They receive a salary and manage the pub on behalf of the owner.
A pub landlord has a legal duty of care towards customers, employees, contractors, and other visitors to the premises. This means they must take reasonable steps to ensure that people are safe while on the property and are not exposed to unnecessary risks of injury or harm.
A pub landlord is responsible for maintaining the premises in a safe condition. This includes identifying and addressing hazards such as wet floors, broken furniture, damaged flooring, poor lighting, or faulty equipment. They must also comply with health and safety legislation, carry out appropriate risk assessments, and ensure that fire safety measures are in place.
The duty of care also extends to the way the pub is managed. A landlord should ensure that staff are properly trained, that food is prepared and served safely where applicable, and that alcohol is sold responsibly. They should take reasonable steps to prevent disorderly behaviour, violence, or other situations that could place customers or staff at risk.
In addition, pub landlords owe a duty of care to their employees under health and safety law. They must provide a safe working environment, suitable equipment, appropriate training, and procedures to reduce the risk of accidents or injury.
A pub landlord who fails to meet their duty of care may be held legally responsible if someone suffers injury or loss as a result of negligence. The extent of the duty depends on the circumstances, but the law generally requires landlords to take reasonable, rather than absolute, steps to protect those who use or work in the pub.
BII Workforce is a free-to-use platform for pub staff members. The BII Workforce website has a variety of resources helpful for pub staff to progress and build their career in the hospitality industry. As a BII member, you are automatically a BII Workforce member and can access all the resources available on biiworkforce.org using your BII login.
BII Workforce is aimed to help and support people who work in the pub industry, whether you’re a pot-wash, bartender or assistant manager, our resources are for you FREE of charge.
You can find blogs covering tip, tricks and advice, short how-to videos on cocktails, cask, cooking and more, industry mentor support, trends and data on the sector, podcasts talking to industry leaders and up and coming hospitality stars and more. You can browse all our resources with a FREE BII Workforce account.
We encourage you to sign up your team to BII Workforce, as it is a free, easy to use resource for anyone in the industry. You can bulk sign up your whole team using this link.
BII Workforce hosts frequent competitions open to all BII Workforce members. They are free to enter, and the winner will be contacted shortly after the competition date closes. If you do not hear anything from the Workforce team, then unfortunately you have not won this time.
Upon request, BII Workforce can send physical leaflets and posters to your pub to display to staff members. If you require a large quantity of either, this may be chargeable.
We additionally can send digital assets to you via email to display or share.
To make a request, email contactus@biiworkforce.org.
If you would like to contact us about press or media, you can reach out at marketing@bii.org. This email is monitored Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
We record all BII interviews on TV and Radio and upload them onto our YouTube Channel. You can find our YouTube by searching British Institute of Innkeeping or by following this link.
Our latest press releases can be found on our latest news page on our website. You can find our latest news here.
We welcome all invites to participate in podcasts, panels, or conferences across the hospitality sector and aim to champion the voice of our sector, sharing as much insight into the industry as we can.
The BII should always, in it’s first instance, be credited as The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII), and following mentions within the article or interview can be shorted to the BII.
Your privacy is protected by law. The law says we are allowed to use your personal information only if we have a legitimate reason to do so. Within the BII, as a membership organisation, how we use your information can be found on out privacy statement here.
Third party contractors and suppliers of the BII on our Privacy Statement (Helpline providers, Regional Chairs, Publisher of BII News etc.) will have access to our member data, as well as the providers of our Customer Relationship Management records system and our website provider. Again, this is to fulfil our obligations to maintain accurate data, information and provide membership benefits.
If you would like to update your communication preferences, you can do that by accessing your account on the website. Under your account you can select “My preferences” where you can opt in or out of your desired mailing lists.
You can also opt out of mailing lists at the bottom of our emails. Click the “Update my preferences” button to change your email preferences, or contact our team on 01276 684449.
You can email us at membership@bii.org or call us at 01276 684 449, to speak to a member of staff about your data deletion. Our emails and phones are monitored Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, so please be patient if you contact us out of hours.
You can get in contact with us today and we will be able to help with any query you may have.
