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Licensing in Eastbourne

Eastbourne has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

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Check an address in Eastbourne

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.

  • National rules only9

Current ward boundaries from ONS. Some homes are exempt, so check your postcode and the scheme details below.

Selective licensing
None
Additional HMO licensing
No
Article 4 on house shares
Yes
Consultation
None open

Licensing schemes

  • Mandatory HMO licence

    In force

    Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Eastbourne fees)

    Area

    The whole of Eastbourne borough (national scheme). Licensing is run by the joint Lewes and Eastbourne Councils private housing team.

    Fee

    Published standard fee: £1,140

    Joint 'HMO License Fee Schedule 2026-2027' (Sussex-wide fee mechanism): shared house, 5 persons £1,140 new (pre-approval processing £760 + licence issue and compliance £380), renewal £799; 6 persons £1,158 / £816; 7 £1,176 / £830; 8 £1,194 / £844; 9 £1,213 / £858; each further person £17.06 new / £14.85 renewal. Bedsits: 2 bedsits £1,283 rising to 6 bedsits £1,573, plus £72 per further bedsit (renewal £917 to £1,150, plus £58). Hostels: up to 10 persons £1,140, 11-20 £1,500, up to £2,943 for more than 81. Extras: late application £50, unlicensed HMO inspection £350, pre-application advice £185, paper form £50. The fee can be paid in full or in two stages; refunds only if the house was not a licensable HMO.

    Who needs one
    HMOs occupied by five or more people forming two or more households who share facilities (national mandatory test; the joint fee schedule says shared houses are licensed for 5 or more occupants).
    Apply on the council’s websiteLicence conditions
    How we checked this

    The fee schedule describes the licence period as 'generally 5 years' ('usually 5 years' for renewals). Licences cannot be transferred: a change of owner needs a new application, and renewals should be submitted no later than 4 weeks before expiry (joint HMO page, last modified 13 May 2026). Separate public HMO registers are published for Eastbourne and Lewes.

    Sources

Article 4 for house shares

Eastbourne 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
Specific areas: Devonshire, Meads and Upperton wards (the parts outside the South Downs National Park) plus a small area in the south of St Anthony's ward where it borders Devonshire (the direction's title: 'Land at Devonshire Meads and Upperton wards and both sides of Whitley Road and Seaside Eastbourne'), as edged red on the direction plans. The non-immediate direction removes the C3 to C4 permitted change of use; it was made under seal on 29 July 2024 and 'shall come into force, if confirmed on 30th July 2025'. Planning Committee confirmed it on 3 June 2025, and the council's news release says it 'came into force on Wednesday (July 30)' 2025; conversions completed before 30 July 2025 are unaffected. Confirmed direction: https://www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/media/5091/Devonshire-Meads-Eastbourne-Article-4-Direction/pdf/Confirmed_Art_4_dated_10th_July.pdf?m=1760701882367
Takes effect
30 Jul 2025

Council source

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.

Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet approved the Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy 'to include the provisions of the Renters Rights Act' on 10 June 2026 (effective 19 June 2026; democracy.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk), with delegated authority to finalise it. Appendix 2, 'Civil Penalties under the Renters Rights Act 2025 and other Housing Legislation', sets a £17,000 starting point for failure to obtain an HMO licence (s.72(1)), landlord-type adjustment £13,600 / £20,400, within the £40,000 statutory maximum.

Eastbourne's civil penalty policy

Consultations

We found no consultations when we researched Eastbourne.

Not yet confirmed

We could not settle these points when we researched Eastbourne. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

  • Not yet confirmed

    No selective or additional licensing designation was found. Eastbourne Cabinet on 17 July 2024 (https://democracy.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=1045) agreed an HMO planning document, the Article 4 direction and a proactive pilot targeting small HMOs below the mandatory threshold; its report recommended 'that a Selective Licensing Scheme is not progressed at the current time' and said Cabinet would have more evidence to decide on additional licensing after the pilot. No later additional licensing proposal was found in the joint committee decision records (the committee document search index appears not to cover recent meetings).

  • Not yet confirmed

    The joint fee schedule gives no separate Eastbourne figures; it is assumed to apply to both councils, as the HMO page presents it for 'Eastbourne borough and the Lewes district'.

Landlord register

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Eastbourne is in South East, where registration is planned from 15 March 2027 to 14 June 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register