Thanet: selective licensing has ended, while mandatory HMO licensing remains
Thanet's selective licensing designation has expired and the council is not accepting new selective licence applications. Cabinet work has explored possible future designations in Margate and Ramsgate, but that is development work, not a current scheme. The live licensing duty for most Thanet landlords is mandatory HMO licensing, with fees that reward accreditation.
The old selective scheme is not a live designation
Thanet's current selective licensing page says the designation has expired and that no new selective licence applications are being accepted. Existing selective licences can remain in force until their own expiry or revocation. Cabinet material from August 2025 records development work for possible future designations in Margate and Ramsgate, but a possible future scheme is not a licence duty today.
Mandatory licensing catches higher-occupancy HMOs
Mandatory HMO licensing applies to relevant HMOs occupied by five or more people from more than one household, irrespective of the number of storeys. Thanet's HMO guidance also covers self-contained flats, converted buildings and certain converted blocks. For two to eight units, the 2026-27 schedule charges £1,033 for the application and £528 for an accredited landlord or £728 for a non-accredited landlord.
Accreditation changes the total
The two-to-eight-unit total is £1,561 for an accredited landlord and £1,761 for a non-accredited landlord. Each unit over eight adds £41. Licences last up to five years, may be shorter and cannot be transferred, so a sale requires the incoming owner to make a new application.
Unlicensed operation affects possession
Thanet states that unlicensed operation, exceeding the permitted occupancy or breaching licence conditions can lead to unlimited fines. Rent repayment orders may recover up to one year's rent or housing benefit, and eviction rights can be suspended until the property is licensed. The amount of the licence fee is a poor comparison with the cost of ignoring it.
The additional-HMO position needs checking
The current council pages reviewed for this guide do not establish a separate additional HMO designation. That is a point to confirm with Thanet for a three- or four-person share rather than assume that a property is either licensed or exempt. In the meantime, every national duty still applies: gas safety, EICR, EPC, deposit protection, Right to Rent, alarms and Renters' Rights Act information.
Verify the live position via Thanet District Council's HMO licensing, offences and selective licensing pages. Illustrative guide - designations, fees and future proposals 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 designation expired. 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.