Slough: old licensing schemes ended, replacement proposals are under consultation
Slough's borough-wide additional licensing scheme and its selective scheme for Central and Chalvey wards both ran from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2024 and have expired. A consultation on replacement schemes ran from 15 July to 23 September 2026, but consultation does not itself create a licensing duty. For now, the live fee and penalty rules that remain most relevant are the mandatory HMO rules.
An expired designation is not a current one
Slough's previous additional licensing designation covered smaller HMOs across the borough, while its selective designation covered Central and Chalvey. Both expired on 30 June 2024. Individual licences that have not expired can remain operative until their own expiry or revocation, but the designations themselves are no longer a reason to submit a new application.
The 2026 consultation is not a licence
Slough consulted on proposed replacement borough-wide additional licensing for smaller HMOs and selective licensing associated with Central and Chalvey from 15 July to 23 September 2026. Until the council makes and brings a new designation into force, do not treat the consultation or its proposed areas as a current licensing requirement. Check the council's latest notice before a tenancy starts.
Mandatory licensing still applies
Mandatory HMO licensing applies throughout Slough where five or more tenants form more than one household, regardless of the number of storeys. The current basic fee is £551.30 for Part A and £535 for Part B, totalling £1,086.30; each bedroom from the seventh onwards adds £36.80. Licences generally last five years, may be shortened and are not transferable.
Planning can still catch a small HMO
Slough requires planning permission for HMOs housing seven or more people and for changing a single-family dwelling to a sui generis HMO use. Licensing and planning are separate decisions. An HMO can be licensed and still have a planning problem, or need planning permission before a licence application can be completed.
The enforcement consequences
Operating without a required licence may lead to a financial penalty of up to £30,000 or an unlimited Magistrates' Court fine. Tenants may seek rent repayment orders for up to twelve months. The public register contains licensed properties only, so an address missing from it is not, by itself, proof that the property is being let unlawfully.
Verify the live position via Slough Borough Council's property licensing, fee and consultation pages and its linked public register. Illustrative guide - designations, proposals 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: Previous scheme ended 30 Jun 2024. 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.