East of England · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in Peterborough
✓ Hand-verified 19 Aug 2026Peterborough operates discretionary property licensing. Letting an unlicensed property where a scheme applies risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000 and a rent repayment order — check whether your property is covered below.
Required for any HMO let to 5 or more people forming 2+ households who share facilities.
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued.
| Part A | £367 |
| Part B | £733 |
| Total | £1,100 |
Peterborough — peterborough.gov.uk, read 19 Aug 2026
Peterborough operates a selective licensing scheme covering ten electoral wards: Bretton, Central, East, Fletton and Stanground, Fletton and Woodston, North, Orton Waterville, Park, Paston and Walton, and Stanground South. It came into force on 11 March 2024 and the designation runs to 10 March 2029. Within those wards a privately rented property meeting the scheme's criteria needs a licence regardless of how many people occupy it. The fee is £908, taken in two parts: £538 on application and £370 on grant. Landlords who already hold a selective licence for a property occupied by three or four people have had it passported across to the city-wide additional HMO scheme that launched on 26 January 2026, so there is no need to apply for both — the council contacts affected owners directly. Because only ten of the city's wards are designated, a landlord should check a specific address against the council's published boundary rather than assume from the postcode. Letting an unlicensed property inside a designated ward is a criminal offence carrying a civil penalty of up to £30,000 or prosecution, and exposes the landlord to a rent repayment order.
Areas: Ten wards: Bretton, Central, East, Fletton and Stanground, Fletton and Woodston, North, Orton Waterville, Park, Paston and Walton, Stanground South
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued.
| Part A | £538 |
| Part B | £370 |
| Total | £908 |
Peterborough — Peterborough Selective Licensing Scheme overview page, read 19 Aug 2026
Scheme runs until: 10 March 2029
Peterborough City Council operates a city-wide additional HMO licensing scheme. Formally designated on 15 October 2025 (following Cabinet decision on 2 October 2025), it came into force on 26 January 2026 and runs for 5 years until 25 January 2031. It applies to all HMOs containing 3 or 4 unrelated persons sharing a toilet, bathroom or kitchen across the entire city, plus section 257 HMOs (converted blocks of flats not meeting 1991 Building Regulations with more than a third let on shorthold tenancies). The scheme covers approximately 2,000 properties not previously requiring a licence. Licence fee £1,100 split into two parts (£588 Part A + £512 Part B). Administered by Home Safe. A consultation ran between 19 May and 31 July 2025 - 74% of tenants said HMO landlords had a negative local impact, 65% agreed additional licensing should be introduced. Enforcement period began 26 April 2026 (3 months after scheme start).
Areas: City-wide. Decision made 2 October 2025. Covers 3 to 4 person HMOs and s.257 HMOs
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued.
| Part A | £588 |
| Part B | £512 |
| Total | £1,100 |
Peterborough — peterborough.gov.uk, read 19 Aug 2026
Scheme runs until: 25 January 2031
Common questions
Does Peterborough have a selective licensing scheme?
Yes. Peterborough operates a selective licensing scheme. Letting a property covered by it without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and the loss of the right to serve a section 21 notice.
Does Peterborough have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
Yes. Peterborough operates an additional HMO licensing scheme. Letting a property covered by it without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and the loss of the right to serve a section 21 notice.
Do I need an HMO licence in Peterborough?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Peterborough, where a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households who share basic amenities. Smaller shared houses may also need a licence where an additional licensing scheme applies.
- Free landlord compliance check — five questions, no account
- Tenancy agreement checker — findings cited to the Act and section
Selective licensing in Peterborough: areas, dates and fees →
Additional HMO licensing in Peterborough: areas, dates and fees →
All property licensing in East of England →
Source: Peterborough licensing page →
Every landlord in Peterborough also needs
A valid Gas Safety certificate (annual), an EICR (every 5 years), a valid EPC, a protected deposit, smoke & CO alarms, the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet, and a current How to Rent guide — plus the new Section 8 possession rules since Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026.
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