South East · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in Reading
✓ Hand-verified 25 Aug 2026Reading 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.
One payment.
Reading, read 25 August 2026
Reading does not currently operate a selective licensing scheme. The council has said it intends to introduce one in phases, beginning with Battle ward within the next two years and extending to Park and Redlands wards at intervals of roughly 12 to 14 months, but the formal designations have not been made and applications cannot yet be submitted. Until a designation is made and comes into force, a landlord letting an ordinary self-contained flat or a single-family house in Reading needs no selective licence. The position is expected to change, so a landlord in Battle, Park or Redlands should watch for the designation notice. Additional HMO licensing does already apply borough-wide, so any shared property let to three or four people forming two or more households needs a licence now regardless of the selective position.
Reading operates a borough-wide additional licensing scheme which came into force on 1 March 2026. It covers houses in multiple occupation let to three or four people forming two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, and individual flats that operate as HMOs, in each case where the property is not already caught by the national mandatory regime. The fee is £1,500, taken in two equal parts: £750 on application, covering processing, and £750 covering compliance, with the scheme including two inspections. Applications opened on 1 March 2026, with an agent portal from 1 February 2026, and inspections were expected to begin from September 2026. A landlord who applies late may face a £250 surcharge as well as enforcement action. Letting a licensable HMO without a licence carries a civil penalty of up to £30,000 or prosecution, and exposes the landlord to a rent repayment order.
Areas: Borough-wide
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued.
| Part A | £750 |
| Part B | £750 |
| Total | £1,500 |
- Administered with Home Safe
Reading, read 25 August 2026
Scheme runs until: 28 February 2031
Common questions
Does Reading have a selective licensing scheme?
No. Reading does not currently operate a selective licensing scheme. Mandatory HMO licensing still applies wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.
Does Reading have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
Yes. Reading 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 Reading?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Reading, 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
Additional HMO licensing in Reading: areas, dates and fees →
All property licensing in South East →
Source: Reading licensing page →
Every landlord in Reading 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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