lettance
← South East

Licensing in Wealden

Wealden has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

Ask an assistant about this page:

Check an address in Wealden

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 only41

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 forceMedium confidence

    Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Wealden fees)

    Area

    The whole of Wealden District (national scheme).

    Fee

    Published standard fee: £808

    The council's HMO page lists 'The proposed fee structure for HMO Licensing Applications effective under the revised mandatory scheme' (the October 2018 changes) with no effective date: shared house 5 persons £808, 6 to 9 persons £823 to £870, plus £16 per occupant beyond 9; bedsits 2 units £933, 3 to 6 units £996 to £1,184, plus £63 per unit beyond 6. 'Please contact us for hostel type accommodation and renewal fees.' These are the only fees the council publishes; the 2026 enforcement policy says 'current fees are detailed on the Council's website'. Treat them as possibly out of date and confirm with the council before applying.

    Who needs one
    The council says 'It is now compulsory from the 1st October 2018 to licence all HMOs that: Have five or more people from two or more households; Share amenities such as bathrooms, toilets and cooking facilities.'
    Apply on the council’s websiteLicence conditions
    How we checked this

    National scheme. 'A license will normally last for 5 years, although the Council can grant a licence for a shorter period if it considers it necessary.' Applications are online and need a gas safety certificate, an electrical certificate and the fee. The council has prescribed standards for maximum occupation (2018). The page states: 'Wealden District Council does not currently operate a selective licensing scheme and has no plans to do so.' Additional licensing is not mentioned on the page; the 2026 enforcement policy uses the ACEHO civil penalty model 'Version for use where there are NO SELECTIVE LICENSING AREAS'.

    Sources

Article 4 for house shares

Not yet confirmed

Whether Wealden 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.

Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy 2026 (Appendix A), approved by Cabinet on 3 June 2026 (item 9: 'RESOLVED – a. Approve the Private Housing Enforcement Policy 2026 as set out in Appendix A'; council.wealden.gov.uk). It incorporates the ACEHO model civil penalty policy for authorities with no selective licensing areas, with £7,000 and £40,000 maxima; failure to obtain an HMO licence (s.72(1)) starts at £17,000 (£13,600 / £17,000 / £20,400 by landlord type) and a 15% discount applies for prompt full payment. The council website still links the 2019 Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy (penalties up to £30,000), and the HMO page still cites £30,000 per property.

Wealden's civil penalty policy

Consultations

We found no consultations when we researched Wealden.

Not yet confirmed

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

  • Not yet confirmed

    Additional licensing is not mentioned on the council's HMO page (which explicitly rules out selective licensing); no additional licensing scheme or proposal was found, and committee-document searches (council.wealden.gov.uk) for "additional licensing" return no housing proposal.

  • Not yet confirmed

    Confirm current 2026/27 HMO fees and renewal fees; the only published fees are labelled 'proposed' and undated and appear to date from 2018.

  • Not yet confirmed

    Absence of an HMO Article 4 direction rests on planning.data.gov.uk (87 Wealden direction records but no direction-area records, none named as an HMO direction) and the council's HMO and planning pages; confirm with the council.

  • Not yet confirmed

    Confirm from which date the 2026 enforcement policy applies and when the website will replace the 2019 policy.

Landlord register

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Wealden 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