Brighton & Hove · 2026 fees
Landlord licence fees Brighton & Hove 2026
Every fee below is Brighton & Hove City Council's own published figure, read from the page linked beside it and checked on 20 September 2026. This page sets out which licence a Brighton & Hove property needs, what each one costs, how the payment is split between application and grant, and which discounts come off.
| Scheme | Council | Fee | Term | Notes / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory HMO | Brighton & Hove City Council | £906Council’s figure | 5 yrs | Five sharers on one tenancy, rising with the house: £927 for six to eight, £950 for nine to eleven and £972 for twelve to fourteen. Re-licensing is cheaper, from £740. A bedsit HMO, where each room has its own tenancy, is charged on a separate scale from £1,137. Three discounts of £75 each, for accreditation with ihowz, the NRLA or safeagent, for an EPC of C or above, and for a registered charity, but only two can be used, so £150 is the most that comes off. Apply more than 28 days late and the fee is £1,027 with no discount at all. Council page |
| Additional HMO | Brighton & Hove City Council | £883Council’s figure | 5 yrs | Three or four sharers on one tenancy, or £1,127 where each has a separate tenancy. Late applications are £995 and £1,193. Council page |
| Selective licensing | Brighton & Hove City Council | £740Council’s figure | 5 yrs | Kemptown, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, Queens Park, and Whitehawk and Marina, for a home let to one or two occupiers or to a family, and for single-storey flats and bungalows with three or four sharers that fall outside the HMO schemes. The scheme runs from 2 September 2024 to 1 September 2029 and a licence lasts until it ends, so applying later buys less time for the same money. A late application is £840. Council page |
How to read these Brighton & Hove licence fees
Which fee applies depends on the type of licence a property needs. Three regimes operate across England, and the schedule above covers Mandatory HMO, Additional HMO and Selective licensing in Brighton & Hove:
- Mandatory HMO licence, required for any house in multiple occupation with five or more people forming two or more households, anywhere in England.
- Additional HMO licence, which a council can extend HMO licensing to smaller shared houses inside a designated area.
- Selective licence, covering most or all privately rented homes (not just HMOs) within a specific designated zone, set in five-yearly cycles.
Fees are set per council, usually run for a five-year term and are commonly charged per property, though some authorities add a per-room element for larger HMOs. Following the Hemming and Gaskin court rulings, many councils now split the cost into a Part A application charge and a Part B grant charge, so the headline figure can be payable in two stages. Early-application and accreditation discounts are widely available and can cut the total noticeably.
Because each authority sets and reviews its own schedule independently, two neighbouring councils can differ by hundreds of pounds for the same property. Budget from the specific council’s current fee page, linked in the table, rather than a city-wide average.
FAQs: landlord licence fees in Brighton & Hove
How much does a landlord licence cost in Brighton & Hove in 2026?
Brighton & Hove City Council publishes these fees: Mandatory HMO £906, Additional HMO £883 and Selective licensing £740. Each covers 5 years and came straight off the council page linked beside each row, checked on 20 September 2026. The table shows how a fee splits between the application and the grant, and which discounts come off. Most councils reprice on 1 April.
Are licence fees per property or per landlord?
Per property. If you own multiple let properties in designated areas, each one typically needs its own licence and fee. Some councils run portfolio discounts for accredited landlords.
What happens if I let without a licence?
Letting a property that requires a selective or HMO licence without one is a criminal offence. Civil penalties reach £40,000 for offences from 1 May 2026, and tenants can apply for a Rent Repayment Order of up to two years’ rent. Ignorance of the scheme is not a defence.
Do licence fees change year to year?
Yes. Most councils reprice on 1 April and a new scheme cycle can move the fee further. The amounts above are Brighton & Hove City Council's published figures as at 20 September 2026; the council link beside each row is always the live position.
Can I claim licence fees as a rental expense?
HMRC generally treats landlord licence fees as a deductible rental business expense for income tax where the licence is required to let the property. If the fee covers more than one tax year you may need to apportion it. Check with your accountant for your circumstances.
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