Additional HMO licensing · Luton Borough Council
The Luton Borough Council Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2023 (citation in the designation: Luton Borough Council designation for an area for additional licensing of houses in multiple occupation 2023)
- Status
- In force
- Runs
- 1 June 2026 to 4 February 2029
- Designated
- 25 October 2023
- Fee
- The council isn't taking applications at the moment. Its full fee, set in 2023, is up to £488 for an HMO with up to three bedrooms, worked out from the months the scheme has left: £122 when you apply and £366 when the licence is granted, plus £122 for each bedroom or flat over three. One discount of £122 is available, for accredited landlords or for a property with an EPC of C or above. The council says it will revise these fees to reflect current costs. The £150 early bird fee ended on 31 August 2026.
- Applies to
- HMOs anywhere in Luton that don't need a mandatory licence, usually homes shared by three or four people from two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. This includes small HMOs in the selective licensing area, and converted blocks of flats (section 257 HMOs). Exempt: buildings the law says aren't HMOs, such as those run by the council, a housing association, the police or the NHS, some student housing managed by a university, an owner's home with up to two lodgers and homes shared by just two people, and HMOs under a management order or with a temporary exemption. The council's application system is down, and it says it won't take action over a missing licence until applications reopen and landlords have had a fair chance to apply.
Our records last verified 18 October 2026 · council designation page · licence conditions
Area covered
The scheme covers the whole of Luton Borough Council. Every privately rented property in the borough that meets the scheme’s criteria needs a licence, wherever it is.
What this means for landlords
Additional HMO licensing extends licensing to shared homes below the national 5-person mandatory threshold. If your property in this area houses unrelated sharers, check the scheme’s occupancy criteria. Running a licensable HMO without a licence carries the same penalties as any licensing offence: a civil penalty of up to £40,000 and a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent.
Is your property inside the scheme area?
This checker reflects HouseFile’s records of council licensing designations, not the councils’ live registers. Our records indicate the position at the verification date shown on each result. Schemes are designated, renewed and revoked throughout the year, and postcode-level lookups are approximate near scheme boundaries. Always confirm with the council before letting or buying a property, using the source link on each card. This is general information, not legal advice.
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