Selective licensing in Oadby and Wigston

What the designation says

Oadby and Wigston operates a selective licensing scheme covering parts of Wigston and South Wigston. The council designated it on 6 February 2025, it came into force on 10 November 2025 and it runs for five years, to 10 November 2030. Selective licensing applies to privately rented homes generally rather than only to shared houses, so an ordinary house or flat let to a single household inside the designated streets needs a licence. The council states that the scheme covers private rented houses only, and that there is no requirement to apply where a property is owner-occupied or is housing association or council accommodation. The designation is drawn by street rather than by whole ward, so an address should be checked against the council's notice rather than assumed from a Wigston postcode. Mandatory HMO licensing applies 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.

Oadby and Wigston's own licensing page →