# Licensing in Charnwood

> Charnwood has selective licensing in part of the council area and additional HMO licensing across the whole council area.

- Checked 26 Oct 2026 (researched_at 2026-10-26, verified_at 2026-10-26)
- Region: East Midlands
- ONS code: E07000130
- Web page: https://lettance.com/councils/charnwood
- API: https://lettance.com/api/v1/councils/charnwood

## Licensing schemes

### Selective licence: Charnwood Borough Council Designations for Areas for Selective Licensing (Loughborough Hastings and Loughborough Lemyngton)

- Status: In force (`in_force`)
- Area: Designation 1: the historical (pre-May 2023) Loughborough Hastings ward; Designation 2: the historical Loughborough Lemyngton ward, as 'delineated and edged in black on the maps in Appendix 1' of the notice. The notice says it covers 'whole and entire areas / roads within the existing boundaries' and later boundary changes 'shall not in any way alter the areas covered'. The council publishes road lists for both wards, but they are not whole-road lists: Derby Road is listed for 'odd numbers only' (Lemyngton), and long roads such as Nottingham Road, Leicester Road, High Street and King Street run beyond the historical ward boundaries. Today's ward names do not settle coverage; confirm the address against the council's maps and road lists.
- Runs: 1 April 2023 to 30 March 2028. The council notice says it ceases to have effect on 31 March 2028
- Fee: Published standard fee: £700. Council property licence fees page (applies to mandatory HMO, additional HMO and selective licences): stage one £395 at application plus stage two £305 when the council decides to grant (total £700). A single £85 discount on stage two (total £615) applies where the licence holder is DASH-accredited and the property is registered with DASH, or (mandatory HMO only) for a renewal made before expiry. £10 per bedroom above six (mandatory HMO only). Page last updated 25 August 2023.
- Who needs one: Privately rented properties in the designated areas occupied by a single household, a single person, or two unrelated people.
- Exemptions: Designation para 5: properties licensed under mandatory HMO licensing or the borough-wide additional HMO scheme; tenancies granted by a registered provider; houses under an interim or final management order; houses under a temporary exemption (s.86); tenancies or licences exempt under the Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006.
- Apply: https://charnwood.metastreet.co.uk/
- Licence conditions: https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/licence_conditions_for_selective_licensing
- Council's map or designation: https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/public_notice_designation_of_an_area_of_selective_licensing
- Confidence: High
- How we checked this: Public notice: designated 10 March 2022 under the 2015 General Approval; it 'will come into force on 1st April 2023' and 'shall cease to have effect on the 31st March 2028 (not more than 5 years) or earlier if the Council revokes the scheme'. 31 March 2028 is the day before the fifth anniversary, so end_date is 30 March 2028 and ceases_on 31 March 2028. The council page (updated 23 April 2026) says that following an agreement at the First-tier Tribunal in 2025 the selective licence conditions were amended and new draft licences are being sent to all licence holders. Applications online via MetaStreet.
- Sources: https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/selective_licensing, https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/public_notice_designation_of_an_area_of_selective_licensing, https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/hastings_ward_list_of_roads, https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/loughborough_lemyngton_ward_list_of_roads, https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/property_licence_fees, https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/applying_for_a_property_licence

### Additional HMO licence: Charnwood Borough Council Additional HMO Scheme 2022 — section 254 HMOs

- Status: In force (`in_force`)
- Area: The entire Borough of Charnwood.
- Runs: 1 April 2023 to 30 March 2028. The council notice says it ceases to have effect on 31 March 2028
- Fee: Published standard fee: £700. Council property licence fees page (applies to mandatory HMO, additional HMO and selective licences): stage one £395 at application plus stage two £305 when the council decides to grant (total £700). A single £85 discount on stage two (total £615) applies where the licence holder is DASH-accredited and the property is registered with DASH, or (mandatory HMO only) for a renewal made before expiry. £10 per bedroom above six (mandatory HMO only). Page last updated 25 August 2023.
- Who needs one: All HMOs, irrespective of the number of storeys, occupied by 3 or 4 unrelated persons (two or more households sharing facilities), throughout the borough. HMOs with 5 or more occupiers fall under mandatory licensing. Section 257 converted blocks are a separate record under the same designation.
- Exemptions: Certain HMOs specified in the Housing Act 2004 are exempt (statutory exemptions), per the public notice.
- Apply: https://charnwood.metastreet.co.uk/
- Licence conditions: https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/licence_conditions_for_hmo_licensing
- Confidence: High
- How we checked this: Public notice: designated 10 March 2022 under section 56 with General Approval; it 'will come into force on April 1, 2023 and unless revoked beforehand or extended will cease to have effect on March 31, 2028'. 31 March 2028 is the day before the fifth anniversary, so end_date is 30 March 2028 and ceases_on 31 March 2028. The council's HMO page says the scheme 'will last for five years unless renewed'.
- Sources: https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/public_notice_designation_of_an_area_for_additional_licensing_of_hmos, https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/hmo_licensing, https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/property_licence_fees

### Additional HMO licence: Charnwood Borough Council Additional HMO Scheme 2022 — section 257 converted blocks

- Status: In force (`in_force`)
- Area: The entire Borough of Charnwood.
- Runs: 1 April 2023 to 30 March 2028. The council notice says it ceases to have effect on 31 March 2028
- Fee: Published standard fee: £700. Council property licence fees page (applies to mandatory HMO, additional HMO and selective licences): stage one £395 at application plus stage two £305 when the council decides to grant (total £700). A single £85 discount on stage two (total £615) applies where the licence holder is DASH-accredited and the property is registered with DASH, or (mandatory HMO only) for a renewal made before expiry. £10 per bedroom above six (mandatory HMO only). Page last updated 25 August 2023.
- Who needs one: Section 257 converted blocks: buildings converted into self-contained flats whose conversion did not comply, and still does not comply, with the appropriate building standards defined in Housing Act 2004 section 257(3). Which standards apply turns on when the building work was completed (before or after 1 June 1992), whether it was dealt with by regulation 20 of the Building Regulations 1991, and whether it would have been exempt under those Regulations. The designation notice covers those blocks where the building is wholly occupied by tenants, unless exempt. The licence is for the block, not each individual flat.
- Check the property: The council must assess whether the conversion met the appropriate building standards in Housing Act 2004 section 257(3), which depend on the completion date, regulation 20 of the Building Regulations 1991 and any exemption under those Regulations, and whether the building is wholly occupied by tenants (the designation notice's wording). The postcode and household inputs do not establish either test.
- Exemptions: Certain HMOs specified in the Housing Act 2004 are exempt (statutory exemptions), per the public notice.
- Apply: https://charnwood.metastreet.co.uk/
- Licence conditions: https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/licence_conditions_for_hmo_licensing
- Confidence: High
- How we checked this: Public notice: designated 10 March 2022 under section 56 with General Approval; it 'will come into force on April 1, 2023 and unless revoked beforehand or extended will cease to have effect on March 31, 2028'. 31 March 2028 is the day before the fifth anniversary, so end_date is 30 March 2028 and ceases_on 31 March 2028. The council's HMO page says the scheme 'will last for five years unless renewed'.
- Sources: https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/public_notice_designation_of_an_area_for_additional_licensing_of_hmos, https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/hmo_licensing, https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/property_licence_fees, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/34/section/257

### Mandatory HMO licence: Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Charnwood fees)

- Status: In force (`in_force`)
- Area: Whole of Charnwood Borough (national scheme).
- Fee: Published standard fee: £700. Basic licence £700 (£395 + £305); re-licence before expiry £615; DASH-accredited holders £615; plus £10 per bedroom above six.
- Who needs one: HMOs with five or more occupiers forming two or more households.
- Apply: https://charnwood.metastreet.co.uk/
- Licence conditions: https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/licence_conditions_for_hmo_licensing
- Confidence: High
- How we checked this: Re-licences never run more than five years from the expiry of the previous licence.
- Sources: https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/hmo_licensing, https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/property_licence_fees

## Article 4 for house shares

Charnwood has an Article 4 direction on HMOs (shared houses). Turning a family home into a shared house may need planning permission.

- Area: All wards within Loughborough (the 2011 notice: 'The Article 4 Direction applies to all wards within Loughborough'). The council's HMO planning page says any change of use from a family dwelling in Loughborough to an HMO 'after February 12, 2012, will always require planning permission'. Outside Loughborough, small HMOs (3-6 people) remain permitted development. Direction made 11 February 2011; statutory direction: https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/files/documents/statutory_direction/Statutory%20Direction.pdf
- Takes effect: 12 February 2012

Council source: https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/hmo

## Civil penalty policy

The council's policy sets how it decides the size of a fine. The version we found has been updated for the Renters' Rights Act.

Cabinet on 7 May 2026 (item 8, Renters' Rights Act 2025 and Housing Standards Policies) approved a Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy and the corrected Civil Penalties Policy, published as an agenda supplement. The policy sets a statutory maximum of £40,000 for offences including failure to obtain a selective licence (s.95) or HMO licence (s.72) and breaches of licence conditions, with penalties set through a stepped civil penalties matrix. Council licensing pages still cite a £30,000 maximum.

Policy: https://charnwood.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s21977/Corrected%20Enc.%202%20for%20Renters%20Right%20Act%202025%20-%20Civil%20Penalties%20Policy.pdf

## Consultations

We found no consultations when we researched Charnwood.

## Not yet confirmed

We could not settle these points when we researched Charnwood on 26 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

- Both discretionary schemes cease to have effect on 31 March 2028. No renewal consultation was found on the council's current consultations page (checked 26 October 2026) or in a charnwood.moderngov.co.uk search for 'selective licensing'; re-check during 2027.
- The fees page dates from August 2023; confirm current fees. Licence terms for additional and selective licences are presumed to run to the end of the designations but this is not stated on the pages fetched.
- Long roads in the selective road lists (for example Nottingham Road, Leicester Road, Derby Road, High Street, King Street) are only covered within the historical ward boundaries, so the selective scheme is matched by map, not by street name.

## Landlord register

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Charnwood is in East Midlands, where registration is planned from 15 February 2027 to 14 May 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register: https://lettance.com/register

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From Lettance: https://lettance.com/councils/charnwood (catalogue edition 31 October 2026). This is information, not legal advice. Check the linked sources, and the council's own pages, before you act.