Licensing in Maidstone

• Mandatory HMO licence

  In force

  Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Maidstone fees)

  Area

  The whole of Maidstone Borough (national scheme).

  Fee

  Published standard fee: £930

  The HMO licences page says 'The total cost of the application is £930. For accredited landlords, it's £895.' Payment is taken when the application is made. The renewals page says 'The renewal application fee is £860. For accredited landlords, it's £835.' Renewals must be made at least one month before expiry; an expired licence or significant changes (number of licensed bedrooms, licence holder) require a new application. No page date or fee-year is shown.

  Who needs one

  HMOs occupied by five or more people forming two or more households who share basic amenities. The council's HMO page says a licence is needed if 'there are at least five or more people in the building, and the occupants don't all belong to the same household or family' and they share a toilet, bathroom, kitchen or living room, or there is a flat which does not have all of its facilities behind the entrance door.

  Apply on the council’s websiteLicence conditions
  ›How we checked this

  National scheme. The council says 'You need to renew your licence every five years'. Applicants need a tenancy agreement, EICR, gas safety certificate (if applicable), fire alarm and emergency lighting test certificates and fit and proper person forms for the manager and proposed licence holder, and must notify the freeholder, leaseholders, mortgagee, tenants with 3+ year tenancies and others. The council issues a licence proposal with 14 days for representations. A 19 March 2025 Cabinet report counted 564 HMOs in the borough (269 licensed, 295 unlicensed, i.e. below the mandatory threshold), 52% of them in High Street and Fant & Oakwood wards. The same report says 'MBC has previously considered creating an "Additional Licensing Scheme" for smaller HMOs (of 4 persons or less), but its Housing Standards Team have felt that existing enforcement powers ... are adequate to address any issues. They remain of this opinion.' Cabinet instead pursued a planning Supplementary Planning Document for HMOs (adoption reported to Cabinet on 23 July 2025).

  Sources

  • maidstone.gov.uk: houses in multiple occupation
  • maidstone.gov.uk: houses in multiple occupation licence renewals
  • maidstone.gov.uk: housing for business
  • meetings.maidstone.gov.uk: Houses in Multiple Occupation Proposals (PDF)

We found no Article 4 direction on house shares in Maidstone.

Council source

We found no consultations when we researched Maidstone.

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

• Not yet confirmed

  No selective or additional licensing scheme, proposal or consultation was found on the council's housing pages or in 2025-2026 Cabinet, Council, Overview and Scrutiny and Housing Policy Advisory Committee agendas. The March 2025 Cabinet report states the council had considered and not pursued additional licensing. The council does not publish an explicit current statement of absence.

• Not yet confirmed

  Locate the council's current civil penalty policy and whether it has been revised for the Renters' Rights Act 2025 (£7,000 / £40,000 levels). None was found on the website.

• Not yet confirmed

  The HMO pages show no fee year or page date; confirm the £930 / £895 new and £860 / £835 renewal fees are the current 2026/27 charges.

• Not yet confirmed

  Absence of an HMO Article 4 direction rests on the planning.data.gov.uk listing and the March 2025 Cabinet report; the council's own Article 4 list was not retrieved.

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Maidstone 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