Dacorum: five-year HMO licences with a shorter route for concerns
Dacorum Borough Council requires a mandatory HMO licence where five or more people form two or more households. A licence will usually last five years, but the council may issue a one-year licence where there are management, condition, approval or compliance concerns. Current additional and selective licensing schemes and HMO-specific planning controls were not confirmed.
The mandatory threshold
Dacorum's live HMO page requires a licence where a property is occupied by five or more people and has two or more households. The council also uses a broader HMO definition of at least three people, two or more households and shared facilities; that definition should not be confused with the mandatory licensing threshold.
The term can be shortened
Licences will usually last five years. Dacorum may issue a one-year licence where there are concerns about management, property condition, non-compliance, serious hazards, missing planning or Building Regulations approvals, missing certificates, false information or other listed matters. The council says full compliance is required for a five-year licence.
2026-27 fee stages
Part 1 for an initial application, including renewals, is £610. Part 2 is £953 for a five-year mandatory licence or £287 for a one-year licence, with £25 for each bedroom over the standard five rooms. Confirm the current calculation and the term being offered before paying.
An incomplete application can create risk
Dacorum says an incomplete application may be treated as operation of an unlicensed HMO. If a complete application is not submitted within three months, enforcement action may be considered. Keep the completed form, supporting documents, payment evidence and council acknowledgement together.
Local schemes and planning status need confirmation
Current additional and selective licensing schemes, areas, dates and fees were UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. Dacorum's current Article 4 page identifies commercial-to-residential directions in parts of Maylands Business Park, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted and Tring, but these are not confirmed HMO-specific C3-to-C4 controls. Any other HMO-specific planning control was UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website.
Enforcement
The council says operating a licensable HMO without a licence or breaching licence conditions is a criminal offence. It states that an unlimited fine and a civil penalty of up to £30,000 may apply, and that tenants may seek up to twelve months' rent through a Rent Repayment Order. Dacorum links separate enforcement and civil-penalty policies for periods before and after 1 May 2026; keep the operative policy with the case record.
Keep the universal tenancy file complete
Every Dacorum 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 Dacorum HMO fees, licence term, register, local schemes, enforcement policies and planning position via the council's official pages. Illustrative guide - charges 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 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.