Landlord licensing and compliance in Essex
Essex County Council is not the licensing authority for every home in the county area. Greater Essex is served by county and district-level councils, and the county council directs housing queries to the local council. Landlords must identify the district or borough where the property sits and check its local schemes, fees and planning controls.
Start with the property’s district or borough
Essex County Council says housing support should be sought from the local council. Greater Essex has a two-tier arrangement with Essex County Council and 12 city, borough and district councils. HMO licensing applications, local additional or selective schemes, fees and enforcement are not one county-wide service; identify the council responsible for the property first.
Do not confuse county planning with local controls
The county council's planning pages cover matters including minerals, waste and county development applications. They do not establish the local HMO licensing position or property-specific planning constraints. Ask the district or borough council about licensing, any Article 4 direction and planning permission before changing a property's use.
Sources: Essex County Council information on council responsibilities, housing, local government reorganisation and planning; GOV.UK local-council finder; Office for National Statistics administrative-geography guidance. District-specific requirements remain to be checked with the relevant local council. Illustrative guide - scheme boundaries and dates 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): 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.