Central Bedfordshire: mandatory HMO licensing with variable terms
Central Bedfordshire requires a mandatory HMO licence for five or more people forming two or more households. Licences can last from one to five years depending on compliance and history. Current local selective and additional schemes, fees and planning controls were not confirmed in the official material reviewed.
The mandatory HMO threshold
Central Bedfordshire requires a mandatory licence where five or more people form two or more households and share facilities. The council's guidance covers houses, flats and other qualifying accommodation. Section 257 HMOs are generally not currently licensable under the local guidance, subject to the stated exception for a qualifying flat with five or more unrelated occupiers sharing facilities.
The licence term depends on the property
Central Bedfordshire says a licence may last from one to five years, depending on compliance and history. Keep the actual expiry date and conditions from the licence rather than assuming every property receives a five-year term. The council publishes HMO and Temporary Exemption Notice registers.
Fees and local schemes need confirmation
The exact 2026-27 HMO fee was UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. Current selective and additional licensing schemes, areas, dates and fees were also UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. Do not turn the absence of a scheme page into an address-level exemption; ask the council to confirm the route before letting.
Use the register and enforcement guidance
The council publishes HMO and Temporary Exemption Notice registers, although a separate address checker was not confirmed. Operating a required HMO without a licence is a criminal offence with an unlimited fine on summary conviction, and tenants may seek a rent repayment order for up to one year's rent.
Planning remains separate
A current Central Bedfordshire HMO Article 4 direction or local HMO planning control was UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. Planning permission, building control and licensing are separate questions, particularly where a family dwelling is being converted into a shared house.
Keep the universal tenancy file complete
Every Central Bedfordshire 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 Central Bedfordshire HMO thresholds, fees, registers, TENs and planning position via the council's official housing pages. Illustrative guide - local schemes and charges 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 - could not confirm on council website. 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.