Arun: additional HMO licensing in Littlehampton and Bognor Regis
Arun's additional HMO designation runs from 1 February 2025 to 31 January 2030 and covers three wards: River in Littlehampton, and Hotham and Marine in Bognor Regis. Mandatory HMO licensing applies across the district at five or more occupants. No current selective designation was confirmed in the official material reviewed.
The three additional-licensing wards
Additional licensing applies in River Ward in Littlehampton, and Hotham and Marine Wards in Bognor Regis. The designation covers specified non-mandatory HMOs occupied by three or more people forming two or more households, together with relevant section 257 and converted-building cases. It began on 1 February 2025 and runs to 31 January 2030 unless revoked earlier.
Mandatory licensing applies everywhere else too
Five or more people from two or more households sharing toilet, washing or cooking facilities need the mandatory HMO licence, wherever they are in Arun. A three- or four-person HMO outside the three additional wards is not covered by that designation on the current guidance, but it remains an HMO and still has to meet the management and safety rules.
Planning Article 4 follows the licensing map
Arun's confirmed non-immediate Article 4 Direction removes permitted-development rights for C3-to-C4 changes in River Ward, Littlehampton, and Hotham and Marine Wards, Bognor Regis. It came into force on 19 January 2023. Planning permission is separate from a property licence, so check both before converting a family dwelling into a small HMO.
The fee depends on the building
Arun's 2026-27 displayed fees are £2,387 for a mandatory HMO, £2,347 for a three- or four-person house or flat, £2,468 for a section 257 building with up to six flats, and £2,589 for one with more than six flats. Each is paid in two parts. The council's decision material appears to contain an additional £50-per-occupant qualifier alongside the mandatory entry, so confirm the final assessment before paying.
Enforcement is more than a licence fee
Arun publishes an unlimited fine on summary conviction or a financial penalty of up to £30,000, possible management control and rent repayment orders covering up to twelve months. A section 21 notice cannot be served for an unlicensed licensable property. The council also provides a public register where you can filter mandatory and additional licences.
Check your ward and property type against Arun District Council's designation, fee, HMO and public-register pages. Illustrative guide - designations, fees and boundaries change; general information, not legal advice.
Renewal tracked from expiry, reminders from 60 days out, proof of service to tenants logged. Knows the 2-month early-renewal rule that keeps your date fixed.
Five years goes quicker than you think. Kept remembers so you don't have to - including the 28-day duty to give tenants a copy.
Expiry tracked from the certificate details you confirm - band E is the current minimum for most domestic private lets unless exempt, and proposed changes are flagged only when they become law.
30-day protection window tracked from the day the money lands - not the tenancy date - with prescribed information logged.
Check dates and follow-up dates for time-limited permissions, stored against each tenant.
Smoke alarms every storey, CO alarms where required, checked and dated at the start of every tenancy.
A one-off duty for tenancies that existed on 1 May 2026. Who was served, when, and how - the £7,000 question, answered with a dated record.
Preparation and export support for the future official registration process - clearly marked as planned.
Additional HMO licensing: 3 wards, to 31 Jan 2030. See the local picture above - every other duty applies exactly as it does nationwide.
Add a postcode and Kept resolves the council, location and local context automatically.
Planned preparation and export support for the government's regional PRS Database rollout.