Council licensing in East of England

Licensing in Southend-on-Sea

Southend-on-Sea has selective licensing in part of the council area.

Checked 14 Oct 2026

Check an address in Southend-on-Sea

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.

May be covered: check the council's map17

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

Selective licensing: Part of the council area
Additional HMO licensing: No
Article 4 on house shares: None found
Consultation: Awaiting decision

Licensing schemes

Selective licence
In force
Southend Borough Council Designation of an Area for Selective Licensing 2021
Area
Some neighbourhoods within the wards of Milton, Kursaal, Victoria and Chalkwell, as shown on the council's designation map. The council's consultation page describes it as eight neighbourhoods; its map caption lists Kursaal ward, parts of Milton, one part of Victoria and one part of Chalkwell. Check the address on the council's map rather than relying on the ward.
Runs
1 December 2021 to 29 November 2026
Fee
£830 for 5 years
From the council's Applications page: 'The full licence fee is £830 payable in two parts': Part A £208 with the application and Part B £622, which the council takes automatically before the licence is issued. The page shows no date for the fee.
Who needs one
Privately rented homes in the designated neighbourhoods let under a tenancy or licence that do not need a mandatory HMO licence. The council page describes these as homes occupied by one or two people or by one family household. Each flat in a building needs its own licence.
Exemptions
The designation excludes HMOs that must be licensed under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004, tenancies granted by a registered social landlord, houses under an interim or final management order, houses with a temporary exemption under section 86, and tenancies exempt under SI 2006/370. A property already licensed as a mandatory HMO does not also need a selective licence.
Apply on the council's website Council's map or designation
How we checked this
Made on 18 March 2021 under the 2015 general approval (no Secretary of State confirmation needed). The public notice says the designation 'will come into force on 01st December 2021' and 'shall cease to have effect on 30th November 2026 (or earlier if the Council decides to revoke the designation under section 84 of the Act)', so the last day in force is 29 November 2026. The scheme ends within weeks of this research. No renewal or replacement designation was found: the Cabinet agendas published for meetings from June 2025 to October 2026, the decisions register for 2025 to 2026 and the forthcoming decisions list contain no selective licensing item. The council ran a survey ('Southend Housing Selective Licensing', now closed) reviewing the scheme 'almost four years' in and exploring additional licensing for HMOs; no outcome is published. The council page says a licence is 'valid for five years from the date that it is issued' and may be shorter if there are concerns. No licence conditions document is linked from the council pages. Selective licensing enquiries: PropertyLicensing@southend.gov.uk, 01702 212220.
Sources
Mandatory HMO licence
In forceMedium confidence
Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Southend fees)
Area
The whole of Southend-on-Sea (national scheme).
Fee
£1,300
From the council's HMO application page: 5 lettings £1,300, paid as Part A £312 with the application and Part B £988 before the licence is issued; each additional letting over 5 costs £120. The same page also says 'There is one fee for up to 6 lets and an additional cost for each letting over 6', which conflicts with the table. No discount or instalments. Larger HMOs should call or email for a quote. No date is shown for the fees.
Who needs one
HMOs occupied by five or more people in two or more households who share a basic amenity, including flats above commercial premises and purpose-built flats in blocks of up to two flats where five or more people share.
Exemptions
Buildings consisting entirely of self-contained or purpose-built flats are exempt (unless amenities are not fully contained); other statutory exemptions apply.
Apply on the council's website
How we checked this
This is the national scheme. Southend publishes its own HMO page and fees. Southend does not run an additional HMO licensing scheme; its enforcement policy says it 'currently operates the Mandatory HMO Licensing scheme'. An HMO licence application guide is linked from the HMO page. The HMO pages do not state the licence length.
Sources

Article 4 for house shares

We found no Article 4 direction on house shares in Southend-on-Sea.

Council source

Civil penalty policy

The council's policy sets how it decides the size of a fine. The version we found has not been updated for the Renters' Rights Act.

Appendix 3 of the council's Private Rented Sector Housing Enforcement Policy ('Civil penalties policy for housing offences') still refers to the April 2018 guidance and a maximum of £30,000. Penalties come from a scored matrix (culpability, harm, severity and other factors): total score 1 to 5 gives £1,000, rising through £1,500, £2,500, £3,500, £5,000, £8,000, £12,000, £16,000, £20,000 and £25,000 to £30,000 for a score of 91 to 100. Failure to licence an HMO (s.72) and a selectively licensable property (s.95) are both covered. The forthcoming decisions list shows a new 'Private Sector Housing Civil Penalties Policy' (first published 5 October 2026) and a new Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy both due for Cabinet decision on 18 January 2027.

Southend-on-Sea's civil penalty policy

Consultations

Southend Housing Selective Licensing (review of the selective licensing scheme and whether additional licensing for HMOs could help)Closed, awaiting decision

Not yet confirmed

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

Not yet confirmed
The selective licensing designation ceases to have effect on 30 November 2026 (last day in force recorded as 29 November 2026). No renewal, new designation or extension was found. Confirm with the council whether licensing in these neighbourhoods ends then, and what happens to licences issued for five years.
Not yet confirmed
The 'Southend Housing Selective Licensing' survey (reviewing the scheme and exploring additional licensing) shows no open or close dates and no published outcome.
Not yet confirmed
Mandatory HMO fee: the page gives £1,300 for 5 lettings plus £120 per letting over 5, but also says one fee covers up to 6 lets. The fee date and the licence length are not stated.
Not yet confirmed
The council's democracy site free-text search is blocked to automated access, so committee papers were checked through published Cabinet agendas (June 2025 to October 2026), the decisions register and the forthcoming decisions list only.

Landlord register

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Southend-on-Sea 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