Licensing in Peterborough

• Selective licence

  In force

  Peterborough Designation of Areas for Selective Licensing 2023

  Area

  Parts of ten wards, defined by the maps at Annex A and the address list at Annex B of the designation. The public notice designates 'areas of' these ten wards 'as delineated on the Maps at Annex A', with the included addresses listed in Annex B; the ward list above follows the council's selective licensing page. Being in one of these wards does not by itself mean a licence is needed: check the address on the council's online map or Annex A.

  Runs

  11 March 2024 to 9 March 2029

  Fee

  £908

  Shown on the council page (last updated 2 October 2026) for 'All other applications for the duration of the Selective Licensing scheme becoming operative': Part A £538 (application processing, paid on submission) plus Part B £370 (compliance, paid before the final licence is issued), £908 in total. No early-bird or discount rate is now listed. Refunds only where the property does not need a licence or the application is a duplicate.

  Who needs one

  Any privately rented property in the designated areas let under a tenancy or licence (a single occupant, one household, or two unrelated sharers), unless it is an HMO that needs a mandatory or additional HMO licence or is otherwise exempt. Each property needs its own licence.

  Exemptions

  The designation excludes HMOs that must be licensed under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004, tenancies granted by registered social landlords, properties with a temporary exemption notice under section 86, and tenancies exempt under the Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006 (SI 2006/370). The council page lists examples including council and housing association tenancies, holiday lets, tenancies over 21 years, care homes, certain student accommodation, business tenancies and closed properties.

  Apply on the council's websiteLicence conditionsCouncil's map or designation
  ›How we checked this

  Designated on 5 December 2023 after confirmation by the Minister for Levelling Up on housing conditions, deprivation, crime and anti-social behaviour grounds (not on migration or low demand). The approval letter's file name is dated 30 November 2023 and the council page gives the approval as 4 December 2023; the letter refers to licensing 'from 26th February 2024', but the public notice and council page both give 11 March 2024 as the start. The public notice says the designation 'shall come into force on 11th March 2024 and shall cease to be of effect on 10th March 2029', so the last day in force is 9 March 2029; the council page words it as running 'for five years until 10 March 2029'. A licence is valid until the end of the five-year scheme rather than for a fixed five years from issue, so licence_length_years is left null. Applications are handled by Home Safe for the council. Three or four person HMOs that held a selective licence were moved across automatically to the citywide additional licensing scheme from 26 January 2026. The council's street lists on its page are grouped under area names (for example West Town, Millfield and New England, Ortons) rather than wards. An earlier Peterborough selective scheme ran from 2016 to 2021.

  Sources

  • peterborough.gov.uk: selective licensing
  • peterborough.gov.uk: selective licensing overview
  • peterborough.gov.uk: peterborough city council designation of an area for selective licensing public notice 2023 (PDF)
  • peterborough.gov.uk: peterborough selective licensing scheme secretary of state approval letter 30 nov 20231 (PDF)
  • peterborough.gov.uk: annex a a map of selective licensing scheme designated areas (PDF)

• Additional HMO licence

  In force

  Peterborough City Council Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing 2025

  Area

  The whole administrative area of the City of Peterborough.

  Runs

  26 January 2026 to 24 January 2031

  Fee

  £1,100

  From the council page (last updated 4 September 2026): Part A £588 (application processing, paid on submission) plus Part B £512 (compliance, paid before the final licence is issued), £1,100 in total. No discounts are listed. The fee is the same whenever in the scheme a licence is applied for.

  Who needs one

  HMOs occupied by three or more people forming two or more households (meeting the standard, self-contained flat or converted building test, but not purpose-built flats in blocks of three or more) that do not need a mandatory licence, in practice three and four person HMOs; and section 257 HMOs (buildings converted into self-contained flats that do not meet 1991 Building Regulations standards and where more than a third of the flats are let on short tenancies).

  Exemptions

  The designation does not apply to houses subject to an interim or final management order or a temporary exemption under section 62. The council page also lists properties already licensable under mandatory licensing, council or registered provider lettings, owner-occupiers with up to two lodgers, holiday lets, long leases over 21 years and student accommodation managed by educational institutions.

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

  Cabinet approved a citywide additional licensing designation on 2 October 2025 (decision OCT25/CAB/44) after consultation from 19 May to 31 July 2025. The designation was made on 15 October 2025 and says it 'shall come into force on 26 January 2026' and 'shall cease to have effect on 25 January 2031', so the last day in force is 24 January 2031; the council page says 'The licences will all expire on 25 January 2031.' Licences run to the end of the scheme rather than for a fixed term, so licence_length_years is left null. Applications are handled by Home Safe. Three or four person HMOs that already held a selective licence were passported across automatically.

  Sources

  • peterborough.gov.uk: additional hmo licensing
  • peterborough.gov.uk: additional licensing designation notice (PDF)
  • democracy.peterborough.gov.uk: ieDecisionDetails

• Mandatory HMO licence

  In force

  Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Peterborough fees)

  Area

  The whole of Peterborough (national scheme).

  Fee

  £1,100 for 5 years

  From the council's HMO licence page (last updated 2 September 2026): Part A £367 (processing) plus Part B £733 (compliance), £1,100 in total. The page says both parts are paid when the application is submitted and only Part B is refunded if a licence is not issued. No instalments.

  Who needs one

  HMOs occupied by five or more people forming two or more households, other than buildings converted entirely into self-contained flats.

  Exemptions

  Statutory exemptions under Schedule 14 of the Housing Act 2004 apply.

  Apply on the council's website
  ›How we checked this

  This is the national scheme. Peterborough publishes its own page and fees. The page warns of a financial penalty of up to £40,000 or prosecution for failing to apply. In October 2025 Cabinet accepted updated HMO licence conditions for five or more person HMOs and agreed to procure a digital HMO licensing process; no standalone mandatory HMO conditions document is linked from the HMO page.

  Sources

  • peterborough.gov.uk: houses in multiple occupation licence
  • democracy.peterborough.gov.uk: ieDecisionDetails

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

Council source

Peterborough's civil penalty policy

• Additional HMO licensing consultationApproved

  Closed 31 Jul 2025

We could not settle these points when we researched Peterborough on 14 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

• Not yet confirmed

  Selective scheme end date: the designation says it 'shall cease to be of effect on 10th March 2029' (recorded as last day 9 March 2029), while the council page says the scheme runs 'until 10 March 2029'. Confirm the last day licensable.

• Not yet confirmed

  Additional scheme end date: the designation says it 'shall cease to have effect on 25 January 2031' (recorded as last day 24 January 2031), while the page says licences expire on 25 January 2031.

• Not yet confirmed

  The selective scheme covers parts of ten wards defined by map and address list; ward names alone cannot tell a landlord whether an address is licensable.

• Not yet confirmed

  The council is considering whether to reinstate the HMO Article 4 direction that expired on 1 January 2026; no decision or new direction was found.

• Not yet confirmed

  No standalone mandatory HMO licence conditions document was found on the HMO licence page.

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Peterborough is in East of England, where registration is planned from 15 January 2027 to 14 April 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register