Brentwood: mandatory HMO licensing with five-year inspections
Brentwood requires a mandatory HMO licence where five or more people from more than one household live in the property and at least one tenant pays rent. The council displays an £890 new-licence fee and £603 renewal fee, with licences lasting five years. Current selective and additional licensing coverage was not confirmed in the official material reviewed.
The mandatory HMO definition
Brentwood describes an HMO as accommodation for at least three people who are not all from one household and who share facilities such as a bathroom or kitchen. Mandatory licensing applies at five or more people from more than one household where at least one tenant pays rent. Friends sharing a house are not treated as one household for this test.
Five-year term and inspection
A new HMO licence is displayed at £890 and renewal at £603. Licences last five years, with inspection during the licence period. The council requires a fit and proper licence holder and manager, suitable management standards and a property that is suitable, or capable of being made suitable, for the permitted occupancy.
Apply through the council forms
Brentwood provides separate online forms for a new HMO licence and renewal. Its transparency documents page is still under development, and a direct current HMO register file was not confirmed. The general licensing application search can help locate records, but do not treat it as a verified HMO register without checking the council's current file.
Enforcement wording is incomplete
The council states that failure to apply may lead to fines of up to £20,000, a criminal record and potentially a rent repayment order. The current civil-penalty maximum and detailed RRO policy are UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. Ask the council for the current enforcement route before relying on a specific figure.
Local schemes and planning need confirmation
No current selective or additional scheme was found on the council website during the review, but this is not proof that no designation exists. The council's general planning constraints page explains Article 4 directions, while HMO-specific Article 4 coverage was UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. Check both licensing and planning for a proposed conversion.
Verify current thresholds, fees, application forms, registers, enforcement and planning controls via Brentwood Borough Council's official pages. Illustrative guide - schemes, fees and 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: UNVERIFIED - current status. 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.