Landlord licensing and compliance in Horsham
Horsham District Council says it currently operates mandatory HMO licensing only, with no selective or additional scheme. It publishes HMO fees and a public register. The council's enforcement policy gives a £30,000 civil-penalty ceiling, while current legislation allows up to £40,000 for relevant offences.
Licensing and fees
The council says only mandatory HMO licensing currently operates in Horsham. It covers qualifying homes with five or more people forming more than one household, subject to statutory exemptions. Licences can last up to five years. The displayed fee table gives £1,164 plus a £55 issue fee for up to five rooms, with reductions for some payment arrangements; it applies to initial and renewal applications, but does not state a financial fee year. The public address-based register lists licences in force, not expired licences or pending applications.
Enforcement and planning
Horsham's enforcement policy says the council may prosecute, impose a civil penalty or consider a rent repayment order. It sets portfolio-based starting points for failure to licence, from £12,500 for a small portfolio to £22,500 for a large portfolio, and says court fines may be unlimited. The policy's £30,000 civil-penalty ceiling conflicts with the current £40,000 statutory maximum for relevant offences. The council's standards page says homes for seven or more people need a change-of-use application; that is not an Article 4 Direction. An HMO-specific direction was not confirmed.
Sources: Horsham District Council HMO licensing, application, public register, enforcement policy and planning pages, plus legislation.gov.uk section 249A. Council page content was retrieved in the browser, but direct curl returned HTTP 403. Fee year and HMO-specific Article 4 status 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): NO - council says no scheme currently operates. 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.