Landlord licensing and compliance in Hastings
Hastings requires licences for qualifying HMOs, but its previous selective and additional licensing schemes have ended. A replacement selective scheme is described as proposed, and its current status is not clear from the council's published material. Check the exact address, fee and planning position with the council before letting.
Check which scheme is in force
The former selective scheme covered seven wards from 26 October 2015 to 25 October 2020. The additional HMO designation ended on 3 May 2023; existing licences remained valid only until their expiry. A council page describes a new selective scheme as a proposal, but the material reviewed did not confirm a final designation or start date. Do not treat the proposal as an active scheme or assume that ordinary lets are exempt.
HMO applications and planning
Hastings accepts mandatory HMO applications and says satisfactory licences are normally issued for five years, although shorter terms may be used where concerns remain. The displayed fee table ranges from £1,262 to £1,892 and splits payment between Parts 1 and 2; the fee year is not stated and one occupancy band appears to overlap. Ask the council to confirm the current amount and applicable band. A town-wide HMO Article 4 Direction has been in force since 2 July 2012 for changes to small HMOs; planning permission and licensing are separate requirements.
Sources: Hastings Borough Council landlord licensing, HMO scheme, proposed selective scheme and HMO planning guidance. The current selective-scheme decision, replacement additional licensing, fee year and overlapping fee band remain UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. 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.