Blaby: mandatory HMO licensing with no local additional scheme
Blaby District states that it operates no Additional or Selective Licensing schemes. Mandatory HMO licensing applies to five or more occupants from two or more households, regardless of storeys. The council publishes a five-year licence route, two-stage application fees and a January 2026 register.
No local designation to add to the national rule
Blaby expressly states that it currently operates no Additional or Selective Licensing schemes. Mandatory licensing still applies where five or more occupants from two or more households share facilities, and the council says storeys are irrelevant. A smaller HMO can still be subject to the general management and safety duties that apply to HMOs.
New and renewal fees
The displayed new-licence fee is £995, or £880 for each subsequent simultaneous application. Renewal is £850, or £755 for each subsequent renewal. An additional £175 charge applies where a property is already operating as a licensable HMO without a licence. Confirm the current application schedule before paying.
Expect inspection and keep the register evidence
Blaby says licences usually last five years and provides an online application route with application and mid-term inspections. Its public HMO register was updated in January 2026. Check the property record and licence conditions directly rather than assuming that a historic application or inspection is still current.
Planning is separate
The council's planning guidance says up to six occupants can generally use permitted development rights, while seven or more occupants require change-of-use planning permission. An HMO licence does not establish planning permission. Check both routes before changing the use of a dwelling.
Penalty figures conflict across official pages
The HMO page describes prosecution with an unlimited fine, rent repayment orders of up to twelve months and civil penalties of up to £30,000. A later 30 June 2026 private-sector policy article describes up to £7,000 for minor offences and £40,000 for serious or continued offences. The current interaction between those figures is UNVERIFIED - do not collapse them into one licensing maximum.
Verify current schemes, fees, applications, the register, penalties and planning position via Blaby District Council's official private housing pages. Illustrative guide - fees and enforcement policies 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.
Selective licensing: No current scheme. 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.