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Licensing in Tunbridge Wells

Tunbridge Wells has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

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Licensing, ward by ward

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  • National rules only14

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
Not yet confirmed
Consultation
None open

Licensing schemes

  • Mandatory HMO licence

    In force

    Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Tunbridge Wells fees)

    Area

    The whole of Tunbridge Wells Borough (national scheme).

    Fee

    Published standard fee: £813

    The council's HMO page says 'From 1 April 2026, the fees are as follows': 5-7 occupants £813, 8 or more occupants £908. Renewal of an existing licence: 5-7 occupants £701, 8 or more £748. Where there have been no changes, a renewal may use the re-licensing declaration form; changes to licence holder or manager need a full application.

    Who needs one
    The council says 'HMOs must be licensed where they are occupied by five persons or more in two or more households.' This includes any HMO which is a building or a converted flat where householders share amenities, and purpose-built flats where there are up to two flats in the block and one or both are occupied as an HMO.
    Apply on the council’s website
    How we checked this

    National scheme. 'A licence usually lasts for a five-year period, after which it must be renewed.' The council asks applicants to contact it first; the application form is on GOV.UK and needs a tenancy agreement, EICR, gas safety certificate, and fire alarm and emergency lighting test certificates. Licences are not transferable on sale. The page also notes 'Where there are more than six tenants planning permission is required.' The public register is available from the Private Sector Housing team.

    Sources

Article 4 for house shares

Not yet confirmed

Whether Tunbridge Wells has an Article 4 direction on house shares.

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.

'Civil Penalty Policy: Civil penalties under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and other housing legislation', published on the council site as the accessible version 'updated July 2026'. Cabinet considered it on 25 June 2026 (item CAB18/26, 'Private Sector Housing Civil Penalty Policy', with 'Appx A Civil Penalty Policy updated Jan 2026': democracy.tunbridgewells.gov.uk) alongside the Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy 2026-2031 (CAB17/26, resolved 'be approved'). The online minutes for CAB18/26 repeat the CAB17/26 resolution text, so the exact wording of the civil penalty resolution is unclear. The appendix covers £7,000 and £40,000 maxima and a matrix of statutory starting points, 20% landlord-type adjustments, mitigating/aggravating factors, financial considerations and totality. Failure to obtain an HMO licence (s.72(1)) starts at £17,000 (£13,600 / £17,000 / £20,400 by landlord type), maximum £40,000. A 15% discount applies for full payment within the final-notice period, not extended by an appeal.

Tunbridge Wells's civil penalty policy

Consultations

We found no consultations when we researched Tunbridge Wells.

Not yet confirmed

We could not settle these points when we researched Tunbridge Wells. 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 private sector housing pages; committee-document searches (democracy.tunbridgewells.gov.uk) for "selective licensing" return only a 2011 house condition survey bulletin and "multiple occupation" only fees and housing strategy items. The council does not publish an explicit statement of absence.

  • Not yet confirmed

    The 25 June 2026 Cabinet minutes for the Civil Penalty Policy (CAB18/26) duplicate the enforcement-policy resolution; confirm the recorded decision on the civil penalty policy.

  • Not yet confirmed

    Absence of an HMO Article 4 direction is based on planning.data.gov.uk holding no Tunbridge Wells records and a committee-document search for "article 4" HMO returning no results; the council's own Article 4 list was not found (site search is a Google widget).

  • Not yet confirmed

    Retrieve the council's Article 4 list and confirm whether any direction removes the C3 to C4 permitted development right.

Landlord register

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Tunbridge Wells 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