Additional HMO licensing in Ceredigion

What the designation says

An additional HMO licensing scheme is in force in Ceredigion. The designation was made on 19 March 2024, came into force on 10 July 2024 and ceases to have effect on 9 July 2029. It is known as Ceredigion County Council's Additional HMO Licensing Scheme 2024 and it operates on two levels. Across the whole county it catches houses in multiple occupation occupied by five or more people forming two or more households, and section 257 HMOs, meaning buildings converted into flats that do not meet the 1991 Building Regulations standard. Within the designated wards of Aberystwyth it reaches further, catching HMOs occupied by three or more people forming three or more separate households. Properties exempted by the relevant sections of the Housing Act 2004 are outside the scheme. Because the Aberystwyth tier is narrower than the county-wide one, an address in the town should be checked against the designation rather than assumed. Landlords in Wales must also register and be licensed through Rent Smart Wales, which is a separate requirement.

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.

Ceredigion's own licensing page →