Licensing in Folkestone and Hythe
Folkestone and Hythe has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.
Ask an assistant about this page:
Check an address in Folkestone and Hythe
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 only13
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
- Not yet confirmed
- Consultation
- None open
Licensing schemes
Mandatory HMO licence
In forceMandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Folkestone and Hythe fees)
- Area
The whole of Folkestone and Hythe District (national scheme).
- Fee
Published standard fee: £1,130
Council HMO licence page (no fee year printed; fetched 26 October 2026), 'HMO fees (inclusive of VAT)': application fee £1130; renewal fee £960.
- Who needs one
- All HMOs with five or more people making up two or more households ('families' on the council page), regardless of size (Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Description) (England) Order 2018). Converted blocks of flats within the HMO definition are not subject to mandatory licensing unless facilities such as kitchens and bathrooms are shared or not fully self-contained.
How we checked this
Landlords must check the property has planning permission for HMO use before applying. Minimum bedroom sizes: 6.51 m2 one adult, 10.22 m2 two adults, 4.64 m2 child aged 10 or under, with up to 18 months to remedy. The public register is not online; it can be viewed at the Civic Centre or requested from private.sectorhousing@folkestone-hythe.gov.uk. The page still says failure to licence is punishable by a fine of up to £30,000. Licence length is not stated.
Article 4 for house shares
Whether Folkestone and Hythe has an Article 4 direction on house shares.
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 24 June 2026 (minute 4, report C/26/09) adopted the 'Policy for civil penalties under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and other housing legislation' (the ACEHO model) and agreed to use Justice for Tenants' civil penalty notice generator (folkestone-hythe.moderngov.co.uk). Failure to obtain an HMO licence (s.72(1)) has a £17,000 starting point (landlord-type adjustment £13,600 / £20,400) within the £40,000 statutory maximum. It replaces the Private Sector Housing Enforcement and Civil Penalties Policy adopted by Cabinet on 20 January 2021. The council's HMO page still cites a £30,000 maximum.
Consultations
We found no consultations when we researched Folkestone and Hythe.
Not yet confirmed
We could not settle these points when we researched Folkestone and Hythe. Check them with the council before you rely on them.
- Not yet confirmed
No selective or additional licensing scheme or consultation exists on the evidence found. After an opposition motion at Full Council on 2 October 2024, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 18 February 2025 (minute 41) reviewed private sector housing enforcement and 'considerations on selective licensing'; officers said any licensing would await the Renters' Rights Act and promised members further information later. No proposal or consultation was found in later committee records (searched to October 2026). Watch for a selective licensing proposal.
- Not yet confirmed
Absence of an HMO Article 4 direction is inferred from the council's planning index and planning.data.gov.uk.
- Not yet confirmed
HMO licence term and fee year are not stated.
Landlord register
The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Folkestone and Hythe 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