Colchester: mandatory HMO licensing only, with a fee-page mismatch
Colchester City Council states that it operates a mandatory licensing scheme for HMOs occupied by five or more people from two or more households sharing a basic amenity. It expressly says that it does not operate additional or selective HMO licensing. The current fee page displays amounts whose totals do not match the instalments, so both figures should be checked before payment.
The mandatory route
Colchester says it operates mandatory licensing for properties occupied by five or more people from two or more households who generally share a basic amenity. New applications are made online through Assure; renewals and variations are requested by email. Keep the intended occupancy and the final licence conditions aligned.
The displayed fees do not reconcile
For a new five-bedroom or letting property, the fee page displays £1,110, split as £525 on submission and £525 on decision, plus £75 for each additional letting room above five. Renewal is displayed as £1,000, split as £475 and £475, plus £75 for each additional room. The displayed totals do not equal the displayed instalments, so confirm the current amount and calculation with Colchester before paying. The licence term was UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website.
No additional or selective HMO scheme stated
The council expressly says: 'We do not operate additional or selective HMO licensing.' That is the published HMO position. Whether the wording also excludes a separate selective scheme for non-HMO private rented properties was UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website, so check the address if the property is an ordinary private let.
Use the register carefully
Colchester publishes a redacted HMO register online and says the full register is available through a Freedom of Information request. A register entry is evidence to check, not a replacement for the issued licence, conditions or current inspection record.
Enforcement policy has a version conflict
The 2026 fees page says civil penalties range from up to £5,000 to £30,000 per offence. The HMO and general-guidance pages still link a September 2023 Version 7 enforcement policy, while the dedicated policy page lists separate April 2026 enforcement and civil-penalty policies. Exact current prosecution criteria, rent repayment order policy and Temporary Exemption Notice procedure were UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website.
Planning and Article 4
Colchester expressly says there are no Article 4 directions relating to HMOs within the City. Its general HMO guidance says planning permission may be needed for a change of use where more than six occupiers are intended. That is a planning-permission note, not an HMO-specific Article 4 designation.
Keep the universal tenancy file complete
Every Colchester 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 Colchester HMO fees, licence term, application route, register, enforcement policies and planning position via the council's official pages. Illustrative guide - 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 HMO licensing: No current scheme stated. 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.