# Licensing in West Lindsey

> West Lindsey has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

- Checked 26 Oct 2026 (researched_at 2026-10-26, verified_at 2026-10-26)
- Region: East Midlands
- ONS code: E07000142
- Web page: https://lettance.com/councils/west-lindsey
- API: https://lettance.com/api/v1/councils/west-lindsey

## Licensing schemes

### Mandatory HMO licence: Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, West Lindsey)

- Status: In force (`in_force`)
- Area: Whole of West Lindsey District (national scheme).
- Fee: Not yet confirmed. The council's licensing page says the fee 'will be calculated on a case by case basis and only cover the cost to the council in administering the licence'. No fee figure is published on the pages fetched.
- Licence length: 5 years
- Who needs one: HMOs occupied by five or more people forming two or more households sharing facilities (national test since October 2018). The council's 'Licensing of HMOs' page still describes the pre-2018 test ('three or more storeys and occupied by five or more persons'), which is out of date; the storey requirement no longer applies.
- Apply: https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-a-licence/house-in-multiple-occupation-licence/west-lindsey/apply-1
- Confidence: Medium
- How we checked this: The private sector housing HMO page says it 'is currently under review' and points to the GOV.UK application form and an HMO policy (2019). The licensing page says a licence 'will normally remain valid for 5 years'. Its reference to a £5,000 fine for breach of conditions is out of date.
- Sources: https://www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/licensing/business-licences/licensing-hmos, https://www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/housing-homelessness/private-sector-housing/houses-multiple-occupation

## Article 4 for house shares

Not yet confirmed: whether West Lindsey has an Article 4 direction on house shares.

## 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.

The council's Civil Penalties Policy page cites the Renters' Rights Act 2025 maxima: up to £7,000 for specified breaches (including Category 1 hazard penalties under Housing Act 2004 s.6A) and up to £40,000 for Housing Act 2004 and Protection from Eviction Act 1977 offences, and says £40,000 is reserved for the worst offenders. Penalties are set with scoring matrices. A civil penalties consultation is listed under previous consultations. Adoption date not extracted. The revised Civil Penalties Policy and Housing Enforcement Policy were approved by the Prosperous Communities Committee on 28 April 2026 ('Renters Rights Act - Policy Update', https://democracy.west-lindsey.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=28133); the policy page was published 10 June 2026.

Policy: https://www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/housing-homelessness/housing-strategies-policies/civil-penalties-policy/civil-penalties-policy

## Consultations

We found no consultations when we researched West Lindsey.

## Not yet confirmed

We could not settle these points when we researched West Lindsey on 26 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

- No selective or additional licensing scheme is in force. The Gainsborough South West ward selective licensing scheme ran from 18 July 2016 and 'came to an end of 18 July 2021' (more than 12 months ago, so not listed). A 2022 consultation on a wider scheme (Gainsborough North, Hemswell, Market Rasen, Wold View and others) was halted by Full Council on 7 March 2022. Checked the council selective licensing page and democracy.west-lindsey.gov.uk search for 'selective licensing'; later items only mention it: the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (24 February 2026, Good Homes Alliance review) noted 'the possible role of selective licensing' in discussing the private rented sector, and 2025-26 budget monitoring refers to selective licensing income budgeted but not received. No proposal or consultation has been made; re-check.
- Mandatory HMO fee is not published; obtain it from the Housing and Communities Team.
- Article 4: whether West Lindsey has an HMO (C3 to C4) Article 4 direction is not confirmed. Checked: the council's website sitemap (no Article 4 page) and planning.data.gov.uk (no Article 4 records for the council). None was found, but absence is inferred, not stated by the council; confirm with its planning team.

## Landlord register

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. West Lindsey is in East Midlands, where registration is planned from 15 February 2027 to 14 May 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register: https://lettance.com/register

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From Lettance: https://lettance.com/councils/west-lindsey (catalogue edition 31 October 2026). This is information, not legal advice. Check the linked sources, and the council's own pages, before you act.