Bedford: additional HMO licensing runs until May 2028
Bedford Borough's additional HMO designation has applied since 21 May 2023 and runs for five years, to 20 May 2028 unless revoked. It covers three- and four-person HMOs and qualifying section 257 converted-flat buildings. Mandatory licensing still applies to five or more unrelated people sharing facilities across the borough.
Additional licensing is address and building specific
Bedford's additional designation began on 21 May 2023 and lasts five years, to 20 May 2028 unless revoked. It covers three- or four-person HMOs and qualifying section 257 converted-flat buildings. Check the council's designation and application guidance against the actual number of occupants, households and self-contained flats.
Mandatory licensing remains the larger threshold
A mandatory HMO licence is required for five or more unrelated people sharing toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities. Bedford says mandatory licences are usually for five years, although shorter terms can apply where planning or management problems exist. The additional designation itself runs to its published end date.
The fee scales with bedrooms or flats
Mandatory and additional licences are displayed at £805.90 plus £80.25 per bedroom. A section 257 licence is charged at £805.90 plus £80.25 per flat. Paper applications add £150. The council provides an online application route, fit-and-proper checks and mandatory and additional registers.
Planning can be a separate gate
Since November 2020, Article 4 controls three- to six-person HMOs in the urban areas of Bedford and Kempston. More than six occupants require planning permission throughout the borough. Planning permission and an HMO licence are separate requirements; the current exact Article 4 boundary should be taken from the council's planning direction.
Enforcement details need the current notice
Bedford publishes housing civil penalties of up to £30,000 per offence, a £461 housing-enforcement-notice charge and smoke or carbon-monoxide penalties of £2,500 for a first breach and £5,000 for later breaches. The current selective-licensing position, Temporary Exemption Notice route, rent repayment order process and transfer rules were not safely confirmed in the material reviewed.
Verify current designations, fees, registers, enforcement and Article 4 boundaries via Bedford Borough Council's official housing and planning pages. Illustrative guide - dates, 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: Live to 20 May 2028. See the local picture above - every other duty applies exactly as it does nationwide.
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Planned preparation and export support for the government's regional PRS Database rollout.