Landlord licensing and compliance in Harlow
Harlow's published mandatory HMO licences last one year, so renewal needs to be diarised well before expiry. The council's town-wide Article 4 Direction has applied since 12 April 2021 and requires planning permission for HMO conversions of any size. Application and renewal fees are displayed without a fee year; confirm the current charges before applying.
One-year licences and renewal
Harlow says qualifying HMOs occupied by five or more people sharing facilities need a mandatory licence. Licences last one year and must be renewed at least one month before expiry. The council lists a new application at £850, or £600 for eligible accredited landlords, and renewal at £350, or £225; more than six bedrooms attract an additional £80 per extra bedroom on an hourly basis. The fee year was not stated, so confirm the current amount before paying.
Register, conditions and planning
Harlow publishes a register of mandatory HMO licences and temporary exemption notices. Licence conditions include planning permission, amenity and room-size standards, fire safety and fit-and-proper checks. The town-wide Article 4 Direction has applied since 12 April 2021 and removes permitted development rights for HMO conversions of any size, so planning permission is required separately from the licence.
Check charges and scheme scope
The council lists £380 after investigation begins, £78 for a further reminder, £50 for a final reminder and £70 to resume an application after that reminder. The basis of some amounts described as fines was not confirmed. Additional and selective licensing status, instalments, local RRO details and published prosecution examples were UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website.
Sources: Harlow Council HMO application and renewal, public register, landlord responsibilities and town-wide HMO Article 4 guidance; GOV.UK HMO licence guidance. Verify current fee year, application charges and scheme scope with the 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.