Ashford: mandatory HMO licensing and the planning question
Ashford's current landlord guidance centres on mandatory HMO licensing: five or more people comprising more than one household, with no storey-count limitation. No current additional HMO designation was confirmed in the official material reviewed, and a current selective designation could not safely be established from the council's public pages. Planning Article 4 records add a separate layer for several named areas.
The mandatory test changed years ago
Ashford's mandatory HMO guidance includes properties occupied by five or more people comprising two or more households, including one- and two-storey HMOs and HMOs above commercial premises. The old assumption that mandatory licensing only applied to three-storey buildings is no longer reliable. Count the households and shared facilities, not the height of the building.
Do not infer selective coverage from the register
Ashford's public-register landing page includes HMOs, selective licences and Temporary Exemption Notices, but the current official pages reviewed did not establish a live selective designation or its boundaries. That means an absence of a clear scheme page is not proof that no selective licence exists. Ask the council to confirm an address before treating an ordinary let as exempt.
The displayed fee has a date typo
Ashford currently displays £871 for a new licence and £871 for a renewal, alongside a £154 charge for a two-hour private-sector housing consultation inspection. The fee page labels its period "2026-26", apparently a typo, so confirm the amount and period through the live application portal before paying.
Article 4 records are planning evidence
The council's official register records Article 4 directions for South Willesborough and Aylesford Green, Beaver and Little Burton Farm, with records dated 1 December 2012. The associated historic HMO consultation context links these to C3-to-C4 planning controls, but an Article 4 direction is not itself a property licence. Check the current planning record and permission position separately.
Keep the national file complete
Every Ashford tenancy still needs annual gas safety, a five-yearly EICR, a valid EPC, deposit protection within 30 days, Right to Rent checks, working smoke and CO alarms and the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet. The council warns of substantial penalties for operating a licensable HMO without a licence, but the precise current civil-penalty and rent-repayment position was not safely confirmed from the accessible page.
Verify the live scheme position, fees and register via Ashford Borough Council's HMO, public-register and planning pages. Illustrative guide - schemes, fees and planning controls 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.
Mandatory HMO licensing (5+ occupants): YES - storey count no longer limits it. 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.