Cambridge: mandatory HMO licensing and an undecided Article 4 proposal
Cambridge requires a mandatory HMO licence for five or more occupants forming two or more households. The 2026-27 standard fee is £1,133 in two stages, with a lower qualifying renewal total. Proposed HMO Article 4 controls and a 10% concentration threshold were under investigation or petition, not adopted, in the latest official material reviewed.
The mandatory HMO threshold
Cambridge requires a licence where five or more occupants form two or more separate households. A purpose-built flat in a block containing up to two flats also requires a licence where occupied by five or more people as an HMO. The council assesses the proposed manager, fit-and-proper status and suitability, and aims to process a complete application within six weeks.
Fees for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027
The standard total is £1,133, comprising £736 on application and £397 on grant. A qualifying renewal total is £1,000, with a £603 application payment where submitted at least eight weeks before expiry and a £397 grant payment. Confirm whether the property meets the renewal criteria in the live portal.
Use the shared licensing portal
Applications use the external council-linked 3C Shared Services portal and require an account. The portal guidance says to select Cambridge City Council rather than using the postcode option. It also provides variation and Temporary Exemption Notice forms, while the current register is available through the linked register service.
Current TEN position
Cambridge's current Temporary Exemption Notice page states that there are no current notices. A TEN lasts three months. The current licence term, transferability, universal civil-penalty maximum and rent repayment order policy were not clearly confirmed in the reviewed material.
Planning thresholds are separate
The current guidance says three- and four-person HMOs normally do not need an HMO licence or planning permission, five or six occupants need mandatory licensing, and seven or more tenants need planning and building-control permission. The 2024 motion and 2026 petition about HMO Article 4 controls and a 10% concentration threshold were not adoption decisions. Do not treat them as live planning rules.
Enforcement examples are not a universal cap
Cambridge publishes enforcement examples including civil penalties of £1,898.73, £3,535.89 and £2,549.65 in 2023, and £2,597 in 2025, alongside a 2025 prosecution with a total ordered payment of £15,081.69 including costs. These examples do not establish a universal current maximum.
Verify current Cambridge fees, portal instructions, TENs, register, enforcement examples and planning proposals via Cambridge City Council's official pages. Illustrative guide - schemes and fees 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.