Chorley: mandatory HMO licensing and a borough-wide Article 4 direction
Chorley's mandatory HMO route generally covers five or more people from two or more households sharing facilities. The council confirms a five-year licence structure and a public register, while the exact applicable fee and current local selective or additional schemes remain unverified. A borough-wide HMO Article 4 direction took effect on 4 March 2026.
Mandatory licensing
Chorley's current guidance uses the standard threshold of five or more people forming two or more households and sharing facilities. The fee table confirms a five-year licence structure with fees varying by application and property category, but the exact applicable licence fee was UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website.
Application and register
The council asks for an application form, plans and supporting property, safety and management information, and it maintains a public HMO register. The exact current response period and fee route were UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website, so check the live application guidance before paying or relying on a deadline.
The enforcement charge is not automatically a penalty
The fee table contains a separate £457.65 Housing Act 2004 Enforcement charge. The reviewed material did not explicitly identify that charge as a civil penalty. Current civil penalties, prosecution policy, rent repayment order use and Temporary Exemption Notice procedure were UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website.
Borough-wide planning control
Chorley's borough-wide HMO Article 4 Direction was confirmed on 24 February 2026 and became effective on 4 March 2026. It controls relevant C3-to-C4 changes, so permitted development cannot be relied upon within the designated area. An Article 4 direction is a planning control and does not replace the HMO licence.
Local designations need confirmation
Historical democratic-services material records selective licensing as a possible option, but it is not evidence of a current designation. Current selective and additional HMO licensing status was UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. Do not publish the historical option as a live scheme.
Keep the universal tenancy file complete
Every Chorley 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 Chorley HMO fees, applications, register, enforcement, local schemes and Article 4 documents via the council's official pages. Illustrative guide - fees and planning controls 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.