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Licensing in Spelthorne

Spelthorne has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

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Check an address in Spelthorne

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
Yes
Consultation
None open

Licensing schemes

  • Mandatory HMO licence

    In force

    Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Spelthorne fees)

    Area

    Whole Spelthorne Borough Council area (national scheme).

    Fee

    Published standard fee: £2,225

    Landlords page (last modified 23/06/2026): 'An application for new licence or a renewal is £2,225.00', made up of a £913 processing fee and a £1,312 maintenance fee. Late or incomplete application penalty £175; cancelled application £175.

    Who needs one
    HMOs occupied by five or more people forming two or more households who share facilities such as kitchens or bathrooms (national mandatory test, no storey limit).
    Apply on the council’s website
    How we checked this

    The council says it 'does not currently operate any additional or selective licensing schemes', so HMOs with three or four occupants do not need a licence (they must still meet standards). 'Licences are now granted with a one, three or five-year licence period depending on a risk rating of the property' (risk-based system since April 2024); 5 years is the maximum. Licensing is run by the Environmental Health residential team. The May 2026 residents' guide reports 153 applications in progress and 62 properties under investigation as of April 2026. Planning permission under the Article 4 directions is separate from licensing.

    Sources

Article 4 for house shares

Spelthorne has an Article 4 direction on HMOs (houses in multiple occupation, or shared houses). Turning a family home into a shared house may need planning permission.

Area
Borough-wide, in two directions removing the C3 to C4 permitted development right. Direction 1, made 21 August 2024 and confirmed 18 February 2025, 'will come into effect on 29 August 2025' in Staines, Stanwell North, and Ashford North and Stanwell South wards. Direction 2, made 5 March 2025 and confirmed 17 December 2025, 'came into effect on 13 March 2026' in all remaining wards (Ashford Common, Ashford East, Ashford Town, Halliford and Sunbury West, Laleham and Shepperton Green, Riverside and Laleham, Shepperton Town, Staines South, Sunbury Common and Sunbury East). The council says 'Planning permission is now required to convert a dwelling house into any HMO' in all wards.
Takes effect
29 Aug 2025

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.

Community Wellbeing and Housing Committee on 2 June 2026 approved the Civil Financial Penalty Policy 2026 (with the Housing Enforcement Policy 2026 and EH General Enforcement Policy 2026), effective 9 June 2026 per the decision record (democracy.spelthorne.gov.uk). The policy ('Civil Penalties Policy under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and other housing legislation') uses £7,000 and £40,000 maxima, prescribed starting points, a 20% landlord-type adjustment and a 15% prompt-payment discount. Failure to obtain an HMO licence (s.72(1)) starts at £17,000 (£13,600 / £17,000 / £20,400); failure to obtain a selective licence £12,000. The landlords page still refers to penalties 'up to £30,000'. The previous 2023 financial penalty procedure applies to earlier offences.

Spelthorne's civil penalty policy

Consultations

We found no consultations when we researched Spelthorne.

Not yet confirmed

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

  • Not yet confirmed

    No selective or additional licensing proposal or consultation was found; the council's landlords page expressly says none is operated.

  • Not yet confirmed

    The exact Article 4 boundaries were taken from the council's ward list; the direction maps were not retrieved.

  • Not yet confirmed

    Surrey local government reorganisation: Mole Valley's published notice says two unitary councils, East Surrey Council and West Surrey Council, 'will replace the existing 12 councils in April 2027' (https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/privacy-notice-local-government-reorganisation/); this council falls in West Surrey. HMO licensing will then be run by the new council; check its fees and any new schemes after that date.

Landlord register

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Spelthorne 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