Council licensing in East of England
Licensing in Bedford
Bedford has additional HMO licensing across the whole council area.
Checked 14 Oct 2026
Check an address in Bedford
We'll match the postcode to its ward and the schemes below.
Licensing, ward by ward
Select a ward to see its name and licensing.
- Additional HMO licensing area28
Additional HMO licensing also covers the whole council area.
Current ward boundaries from ONS. Some homes are exempt, so check your postcode and the scheme details below.
- Selective licensing
- None
- Additional HMO licensing
- Yes, whole council area
- Article 4 on house shares
- Yes
- Consultation
- None open
Licensing schemes
Additional HMO licence
In forceBedford Borough Additional HMO Licensing Scheme (2023 designation, borough-wide)
- Area
The whole of Bedford Borough. The designation notice designates 'the whole of the Borough Council's area', and lists the wards as they stood in 2023 (for example Bromham & Biddenham, Eastcotts, Kempston Rural, Newnham, Wilshamstead, Wootton), several of which have since been replaced by new ONS wards. Because the designation covers the whole borough, every current ward is included.
- Runs
- 21 May 2023 to 20 May 2028
- Fee
£805.90 for 5 years
From 'HMO licence fees 2026' on the council's apply page: £805.90 plus £80.25 per bedroom (the council's example: a four-bedroom property pays £1,126.90). Section 257 HMOs: £805.90 plus £80.25 per flat (example: three flats £1,046.65). A paper application instead of the online form costs an extra £150. No discount or two-part payment is described.
- Who needs one
- Privately rented HMOs that are not already subject to mandatory licensing: in the designation's words, HMOs 'occupied by three or more unrelated occupiers' or 'occupied by two or more households', and section 257 HMOs (buildings converted into self-contained flats before 1991 where more than a third of tenancies are shorthold). The council's apply page says an additional licence is needed where three or four unrelated people live at the property and share a toilet, bathroom or kitchen.
- Exemptions
- The designation excludes HMOs already subject to mandatory licensing and those 'subject to any statutory exemption under schedule 14 of the Act'.
How we checked this
This is a renewal of Bedford's earlier additional licensing scheme, which ended on 20 May 2023. The Executive decided on 25 January 2023 to renew it 'for a further five years throughout the whole of the Council's area'. The section 56 notice says: 'The designation will come into force on the 21st May 2023 and unless revoked beforehand it will remain in force for a period of 5 years from this date. The Designation expires on the 20th May 2028.' The designation relies on the 2015 general approval, so no confirmation by the Secretary of State was needed. The licence conditions page says additional licences run up to 20 May 2028, and that a shorter licence may be granted where the property lacks planning permission or there are known management failings. The same Executive resolution asked for further consultation, including face-to-face surveys with tenants, 'to determine local views on the future of Additional HMO Licensing post 2028'. Applicants must complete a Fit and Proper Person check before applying online through a Council Services account; the council aims to process applications within 6 to 8 weeks.
Mandatory HMO licence
In forceMandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Bedford fees)
- Area
The whole of Bedford Borough (national scheme).
- Fee
£805.90 for 5 years
From 'HMO licence fees 2026' on the council's apply page: £805.90 plus £80.25 per bedroom (the council's example: a six-bedroom property pays £1,287.40). A paper application costs an extra £150.
- Who needs one
- Properties where five or more unrelated people live and all or some of them share a toilet, bathroom or kitchen.
How we checked this
This is the national scheme. Bedford publishes its own page and fees. The licence conditions page says mandatory HMO licences are usually granted for five years, and may be shorter where the property lacks planning permission or there are known management failings. The council publishes mandatory and additional HMO licence registers as Excel files on its HMO law and planning page.
Article 4 for house shares
Bedford has an Article 4 direction on HMOs (houses in multiple occupation, or shared houses). Turning a family home into a shared house may need planning permission.
- Area
- The urban areas of Bedford and Kempston, as outlined in red on the map attached to 'The Houses in Multiple Occupation Article 4(1) Direction 2019'. It removes the permitted development right to change from Class C3 to Class C4 (small HMOs of three to six unrelated people).
- Takes effect
- 22 Nov 2020
Civil penalty policy
The council's policy sets how it decides the size of a fine. The version we found has not been updated for the Renters' Rights Act.
The 'Housing Regulatory Compliance Civil Penalty Policy', dated May 2025, is linked from the council's housing enforcement page, which says 'Housing Act Civil penalties = up to £30,000 per offence'. The policy uses a £30,000 maximum and does not mention the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Starting levels: failure to license a mandatory HMO (s.72(1)) is treated as 'Very Serious' with a starting level of £17,500; failure to license under the additional licensing scheme starts at £12,500. Each starting level applies to a landlord with four or five dwellings; it is reduced by £5,000 for a landlord with up to three dwellings and increased by £5,000 for six or more dwellings or demonstrated letting experience (so £12,500 / £17,500 / £22,500 for an unlicensed mandatory HMO, and £7,500 / £12,500 / £17,500 under the additional scheme), before aggravating or mitigating factors. Mitigating or aggravating factors will rarely move the penalty by more than £5,000.
Consultations
We found no consultations when we researched Bedford.
Not yet confirmed
We could not settle these points when we researched Bedford on 14 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.
- Not yet confirmed
The January 2023 Executive resolution asked for further consultation on the future of additional HMO licensing after 2028. No such consultation or report was found on the council's consultations pages, or on the published Executive agendas for 2025 and 2026 (checked on councillorsupport.bedford.gov.uk). The scheme ends on 20 May 2028; watch for a renewal consultation.
- Not yet confirmed
No selective licensing scheme or proposal was found on the council website or in Executive agendas for 2025 and 2026.
- Not yet confirmed
The 2023 designation notice lists the pre-2023 ward names, but it designates the whole borough, so ward changes do not affect coverage.
- Not yet confirmed
The Article 4 direction area is defined by a map; the council's HMO page describes the date as 22 November 2020 and the direction says it 'will come into effect on 22nd November 2020'. Check an address against the council's map search before relying on it.
- Not yet confirmed
No civil penalty policy updated for the Renters' Rights Act 2025 was found; the May 2025 policy still uses the £30,000 maximum.
Landlord register
The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Bedford is in East of England, where registration is planned from 15 January 2027 to 14 April 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register