How many East of England councils operate selective or additional licensing?

5 of the 45 councils we track in East of England operate at least one discretionary licensing scheme — 11%. Mandatory HMO licensing applies in all of them regardless, wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.

Does a licence in one East of England council cover a property in another?

No. Each designation is made by a single local authority under the Housing Act 2004 and applies only within that authority's area. A landlord with property in two East of England councils needs a licence from each where a scheme applies.

Property licensing in East of England

5 of the 45 councils we track in East of England operate a selective or additional HMO licensing scheme — 11%. Mandatory HMO licensing applies in every one of them regardless, wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households. A licence from one council never covers a property in another.

What a licence costs in East of England

Across the 30 councils in East of England where we hold a published fee, the figures we have read run from £150 (Luton, additional) to £1,670 (Thurrock, additional). That is 36 fees in total, taken from each council's own published schedule and shown in full on its page — most are banded by property size or unit count, so the headline is a starting point rather than the price. A fee is never a penalty: letting unlicensed where a scheme applies risks far more than the difference between the two figures above.

Councils with a scheme

Great Yarmouth

Selective →

Luton

Selective →Additional HMO →

Peterborough

Selective →Additional HMO →

Southend-on-Sea

Selective →

Thurrock

Selective →Additional HMO →

The rest of East of England

No discretionary scheme is established for these councils. That means either the council has confirmed it operates none, or we have not established a position — each page says which. It never means a licence is definitely not needed: mandatory HMO licensing still applies, and a council can designate at any time.

Babergh · Basildon · Bedford · Braintree · Breckland · Brentwood · Broadland · Broxbourne · Cambridge · Castle Point · Central Bedfordshire · Chelmsford · Colchester · Dacorum · East Cambridgeshire · East Hertfordshire · East Suffolk · Epping Forest · Fenland · Harlow · Hertsmere · Huntingdonshire · Ipswich · King's Lynn and West Norfolk · Maldon · Mid Suffolk · North Hertfordshire · North Norfolk · Norwich · Rochford · South Cambridgeshire · South Norfolk · St Albans · Stevenage · Tendring · Three Rivers · Uttlesford · Watford · Welwyn Hatfield · West Suffolk

Free compliance audit →Five questions, no account. Tells you which duties apply to your property.Check your tenancy agreement →Clauses that stopped being lawful on 1 May 2026 are still in circulation.

Information tool, not legal advice. Confirm the position with the council before letting.