Selective licensing · Reading Borough Council
Proposed phased selective licensing schemes (Battle, then Park, then Redlands wards)
- Status
- Consultation
- Fee
- No fee has been fixed or published. The council states only that it expects the selective licence fee to be lower than the HMO licence fee and that it 'will be reviewed and published before the new schemes come into force'. The Housing, Neighbourhoods and Leisure Committee report of 13 November 2024 (Appendix 2) set out PROPOSED selective licensing fees of: standard £750.00; Rent Guarantee Scheme rate £250.00; accredited landlord rate (e.g. NRLA members) £650.00; late application £1,000. These are proposals only and are not the council's published live fees.
- Applies to
- Proposed: all privately rented properties let to a single household (single family homes), and properties let to two sharers, within the designated ward areas. HMOs would not be covered (they fall under mandatory or the additional scheme). Proposed exemptions include properties managed by local housing authorities, registered social landlords or housing associations, lettings to family members, arrangements where the occupier shares with the landlord, and HMOs licensable under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004.
Our records last verified 28 August 2026 · council designation page
Area covered
The designation covers a defined area of Reading Borough Council — check your exact address with the checker below, and against the map on the council’s designation page, because scheme boundaries are street-precise.
What this means for landlords
Selective licensing applies to privately rented homes in the designated area regardless of size — single lets included. Letting an unlicensed property inside the area can mean a civil penalty of up to £30,000, a rent repayment order of up to 12 months’ rent, and no valid possession notice until the position is fixed.
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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