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Council licensing in East of England

Licensing in Stevenage

Stevenage has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

Checked 14 Oct 2026

Check an address in Stevenage

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, Stevenage fees)

    Area

    The whole of Stevenage borough (national scheme).

    Fee

    £1,054 for 5 years

    Fees on the council's 'Licensing of HMOs' page (posted 1 January 2026). Paid in two parts: Part A with the application and Part B before the licence is issued. First-time application £650 + £404 = £1,054. Renewal with significant changes (inspection needed) £526 + £404 = £930. Renewal with no significant changes £363 + £567 = £930. Part A is non-refundable if the licence is refused; partial refunds at the council's discretion if withdrawn; full refund of Part A for a mistaken application on an exempt property.

    Who needs one
    HMOs occupied by five or more people living in two or more separate households who lack or share bathrooms, toilets or cooking facilities, including a building, converted flat or purpose-built flat with up to two flats in the block where any is occupied as an HMO. The licence must be obtained before the property is occupied by five or more people.
    Exemptions
    The council lists properties managed by a registered social landlord or a health service body, owner-occupiers with their family and no more than two lodgers, and properties occupied by two people who are not of the same household.
    Apply on the council's website
    How we checked this

    This is the national scheme. Stevenage publishes its own HMO licensing page and fees. The licence is usually issued for five years, and in exceptional circumstances for a shorter period. The council aims to decide applications within 90 days. All licences carry generic conditions, plus property-specific conditions where needed; no conditions document is published. Operating an unlicensed HMO can lead to an unlimited fine or a financial penalty of up to £30,000 and repayment of up to 12 months' rent and Housing Benefit (council page). All HMOs, licensable or not, must meet the council's prescribed amenity standards. The council's private sector housing pages describe only mandatory HMO licensing; no additional or selective licensing scheme or proposal was found.

    Sources

Article 4 for house shares

Stevenage 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 (all wards in Stevenage Borough). Non-immediate Article 4(1) direction made on 19 September 2016, confirmed on 24 May 2017 (notice dated 15 June 2017), in force from 20 September 2017. It removes the Class L(b) permitted development right for changes from C3 (dwelling house) to C4 (HMO), so every conversion of a house to an HMO needs planning permission.
Takes effect
20 Sept 2017

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.

A revised Civil Penalty Policy covering the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and other housing legislation was considered by the General Purposes Committee on 14 April 2026, approved by Cabinet on 10 June 2026 and recommended to Full Council on 22 July 2026 for adoption. It follows the statutory starting points: failure to obtain an HMO licence (s.72(1)) starts at £17,000, with a 20% landlord-type adjustment (£13,600 down, £20,400 up) and a statutory maximum of £40,000, before mitigating and aggravating factors. A 15% discount applies for full payment within the period in the final notice (normally 28 days). The council's HMO page still states a maximum of £30,000.

Stevenage's civil penalty policy

Consultations

We found no consultations when we researched Stevenage.

Not yet confirmed

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

  • Not yet confirmed

    Confirm that Full Council adopted the 2026 Civil Penalty Policy on 22 July 2026 (the council report recommending adoption was retrieved, but not the minutes), and whether it is published on the council website.

  • Not yet confirmed

    No selective or additional licensing scheme, consultation or proposal was found on the council website or in web searches of its committee papers.

  • Not yet confirmed

    No published HMO licence conditions document was found.

Landlord register

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Stevenage 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