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Licensing in Lewes

Lewes has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

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Check an address in Lewes

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 only21

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 force

    Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Lewes fees)

    Area

    The whole of Lewes district (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

Not yet confirmed

Whether Lewes has an Article 4 direction on house shares.

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.

Lewes District Council Cabinet approved the Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy 'to include the provisions of the Renters Rights Act' on 18 June 2026 (effective 24 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. The joint records also hold a Civil Penalties Policy approved by the 'Cabinet member for tenants and those in housing need' on 23 January 2025 (democracy.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk); the decision page does not name which council it belongs to.

Lewes's civil penalty policy

Consultations

We found no consultations when we researched Lewes.

Not yet confirmed

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

  • Not yet confirmed

    No selective or additional licensing decision for Lewes District was found in the joint committee decision records searched (January 2023 to October 2026) or on the joint website; the committee document search returns no results for 'selective licensing'. Absence is inferred, not stated by the council.

  • Not yet confirmed

    The South Downs National Park Authority's own Article 4 directions (covering Lewes town and other National Park parts of the district) were not checked for HMO directions.

  • Not yet confirmed

    The joint fee schedule gives no separate Lewes figures; it is assumed to apply to both councils, as the HMO page presents it for 'Eastbourne borough and the Lewes district'. The 23 January 2025 Civil Penalties Policy decision (ID 1087) does not name its council.

  • Not yet confirmed

    Check the South Downs National Park Authority's Article 4 directions for Lewes town and the other National Park parts of the district for any C3 to C4 direction.

Landlord register

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Lewes 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