Canterbury: mandatory HMO licensing with a five-year inspection route
Canterbury's mandatory HMO route generally covers properties rented to five or more people forming more than one household, where facilities are shared and at least one person pays rent. The displayed fee is £1,498.97 for up to five people plus £86.64 for each additional person. Current selective and additional schemes were not confirmed.
The mandatory HMO test
Canterbury says a large HMO generally means a property rented to five or more people forming more than one household, sharing facilities such as a toilet, bathroom or kitchen, with at least one person paying rent. Certain purpose-built or commercial buildings containing no more than two purpose-built flats are also covered.
Fee and inspection
The displayed fee is £1,498.97 for up to five people, plus £86.64 for each additional person. A licence lasts five years, and the council normally carries out an HMO inspection within six months of issuing it. No discount was stated on the cited fee page.
Use the eligibility and register routes
Canterbury provides an eligibility enquiry form, an online application route and an HMO register request form. The register can be viewed by appointment or requested as PDF or CSV. It lists licensed properties with five or more occupants and does not publish details for properties with four or fewer occupants, so a missing record is not proof of exemption.
Several local details remain unverified
The current transfer procedure, civil penalties, prosecution wording, rent repayment orders, Temporary Exemption Notices and discounts were UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. No current selective or additional designation was confirmed in the reviewed official material.
Planning Article 4 is separate
In a Canterbury Article 4 area, planning permission is required to change a C3 dwelling house to a C4 HMO for three to six unrelated people sharing facilities. The council provides an official planning constraints map. Planning permission does not replace the HMO licence.
Keep the national compliance file ready
Every Canterbury 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.
Verify current Canterbury thresholds, fees, applications, register, planning map and local scheme position via Canterbury City Council's official pages. Illustrative guide - 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.
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.