Additional HMO licensing in Arun

What the designation says

Arun operates an additional HMO licensing scheme covering the River, Marine and Hotham wards. The designation was made on 1 November 2024 and came into force on 1 February 2025. It catches smaller houses in multiple occupation, meaning those occupied by three or four people, and section 257 HMOs, which are buildings converted into flats that do not meet the 1991 Building Regulations standard. The council introduced it to raise standards in smaller shared homes that fall outside mandatory licensing. Because the scheme covers three wards rather than the whole district, an address should be checked against the designation rather than assumed from its postcode. Mandatory HMO licensing continues to apply separately wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.

What this means for a landlord

A licence must be in place before the property is let, not applied for afterwards. Operating unlicensed in a designated area is a criminal offence: a civil penalty of up to £30,000 per offence, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and a section 21 notice that cannot be served while the property is unlicensed. Mandatory HMO licensing applies separately and everywhere, wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.

Arun's own licensing page →