Derby: mandatory HMO licensing, with planning controls for small HMOs
Derby currently publishes mandatory HMO licensing as its operative property-licensing scheme. There is no additional or selective scheme identified in the council's current landlord material, so an ordinary family let is not licensed just because it is in Derby. The harder local question is planning: Derby's HMO Article 4 Direction took effect on 3 May 2025 across a substantial part of the city.
Licensing and planning are separate checks
Mandatory licensing applies where five or more people from two or more households occupy an HMO and share facilities, regardless of the number of storeys. But a three- or four-person HMO can still need planning permission: Derby's Article 4 Direction removes permitted-development rights for small HMOs in the designated area. Holding a licence does not make an unauthorised conversion lawful, and planning permission does not remove a licensing duty.
The Article 4 area has concentration controls
The council's current planning guidance identifies an area including Arboretum ward and parts of several wards within the ring road. It also refers to limits on adjoining HMOs, "sandwiching", concentration within a 50-metre radius, and possible planning obligations for HMOs accommodating seventeen or more people. Check the council's current map and planning guidance for the exact property boundary before buying or converting; the ward names alone are not a substitute for the legal map.
Allow for a long application process
Derby aims to consider a valid HMO application within ninety days, but warns that a substantial backlog may extend that period. The process normally includes an inspection, a draft licence, a 21-day consultation, a decision notice and a 28-day First-tier Tribunal appeal period. The 2026-27 fee is £1,368 for up to six bedrooms, with £55 for each additional bedroom, split between the application and post-draft stages.
The register is not the whole story
Derby publishes a current HMO licence register without landlord details. A full register can be viewed by appointment or obtained electronically for £50. An entry on the register proves a licence exists; it does not prove that planning permission, fire safety or the licence conditions are all current.
Unlicensed HMOs are expensive
The council publishes an unlimited Magistrates' Court fine or a civil penalty of up to £30,000 for an unlicensed HMO. That is before the cost of correcting the property, losing possession options or dealing with any rent repayment claim.
Verify current fees, the HMO register and the Article 4 map via Derby City Council's HMO licensing and planning pages. Illustrative guide - schemes, boundaries and fees 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 (ordinary lets): No current scheme published. 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.