Crawley: mandatory HMO licensing and ten current Article 4 areas
Crawley requires a mandatory HMO licence for five or more people forming two or more households. The displayed 2026-to-2027 fee guide covers properties of up to six and seven to ten persons, but its internal heading still says 2025/2026. The council also publishes conflicting civil-penalty maxima, so the live policy must be checked before relying on a figure.
The mandatory route
Crawley requires every HMO with five or more people forming two or more households to be licensed. Applications require the council's application pack, supporting documents and fees. The council publishes a quarterly register; the linked register reviewed here is the April 2026 CSV.
Fee-year wording needs checking
The displayed fee guide gives a new application fee of £924.10 and a new issue fee of £307.10 for up to six persons. For seven to ten persons it gives £1,002.40 and £307.10. Renewal application fees are £523.40 up to six persons and £539.90 for seven to ten, with a £271.80 issue fee for both. The document sits in a March 2026 folder and is named 2026 to 2027, but its internal heading says 2025/2026. The fee year and any band above ten persons were UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website.
The licence term and local schemes
The current licence term was UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. Current additional and selective licensing schemes, areas, dates and fees were also UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. Do not infer that no local designation exists from the HMO page or from a generic statutory list.
Civil-penalty figures conflict
The live HMO page states up to £20,000 on prosecution or a civil penalty up to £30,000 for operating an unlicensed HMO. Crawley's July 2026 Civil Penalties and Rent Repayment Orders Policy lists section 72 as carrying a civil-penalty maximum of £40,000. The single current maximum is therefore UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. The policy says the council may apply for rent repayment orders, and a Temporary Exemption Notice may provide a three-month window while the landlord takes steps to remove the need for a licence.
Ten HMO Article 4 areas
Crawley says current HMO Article 4 directions cover Aintree Road and Epsom Road, Arden Road, Ardingly Close, Beverley Mews, Caburn Heights, Farmleigh Close, Rillside and Winterfold, Ringwood Close, Victoria Mews and Weald Drive. The directions remove permitted-development rights for C3-to-C4 changes for HMOs of up to six residents, so planning permission is required in those areas. The HMO page retains the heading 'Proposed Article 4 Directions' even though its text says the directions were approved and are in force.
Keep the universal tenancy file complete
Every Crawley 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 Crawley HMO fees, licence term, register, schemes, civil-penalty policy and Article 4 boundaries via the council's official pages. Illustrative guide - fee and enforcement wording changes; 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.