Luton: licensing went live in June 2026 after a legal challenge
Luton's licensing schemes were designated on 25 October 2023 and then held up by a legal challenge, which the council successfully defended. Selective licensing went live on 1 June 2026 covering the town centre and Park Town areas, alongside borough-wide additional HMO licensing. All schemes cease on 4 February 2029. An early-bird fee of £150 ran to 31 August 2026.
The mistake that costs a whole application
A small HMO shared by three or four people inside the selective licensing area does not need a selective licence - it needs an additional HMO licence. Because the additional scheme is borough-wide and the selective scheme is area-based, landlords in the town centre reasonably assume the area-based one applies and apply for the wrong licence. Work out the occupancy first, the geography second.
Roads, not wards
The selective area covers the town centre and Park Town, defined by a published road list and an annexed map rather than by ward. There is no postcode checker, so you have to look your street up on the council's list. Housing associations and registered social landlords are exempt from both schemes.
If you applied before the delay, you may need to apply again
Landlords who applied when the schemes were originally designated and then took a refund when they were held up must submit a fresh application - the old one does not revive. Those who had already paid the £150 will have their applications processed, with £28 refunded if unsuccessful. The council has also indicated that applications received after 1 September 2026 should generally only relate to properties newly entering the rental market.
Fees have changed - check the current figure
The £150 early-bird fee, made up of a non-refundable £122 on application and £28 payable on grant, ran from 1 June to 31 August 2026 with no other discounts available during it. The full fee applies afterwards, and the council has said its published full-fee figures were calculated before its 2022 consultation and are being revised. Take the current figure from the council rather than from anything older.
The consequences of not licensing
Operating without a required licence is a criminal offence, and Luton's published position is liability to prosecution and an unlimited fine on summary conviction. The council also maintains a civil penalties and rent repayment orders policy.
Check your road against Luton Borough Council's published selective licensing road list and verify current fees on its landlord licensing pages. Illustrative guide - schemes, dates 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): Town centre & Park Town, live 1 Jun 2026. 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.