Selective licensing in Southend-on-Sea
Yes. Southend-on-Sea operates a selective licensing scheme. Letting a covered property 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.
What the designation says
Southend-on-Sea operates a selective licensing scheme that came into force on 1 December 2021 and runs until 30 November 2026, unless the council revokes it earlier under section 84 of the Housing Act 2004. It covers specific neighbourhoods within the wards of Milton, Kursaal, Victoria and Chalkwell rather than the whole of those wards, so an address inside one of those wards is not automatically inside the scheme. The council is reviewing the scheme's impact close to the end of its five-year term, and no renewal, replacement or extension has been designated. Separately it has consulted on whether additional HMO licensing would improve housing conditions further; that consultation has closed and no outcome has been published.
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.
Information tool, not legal advice. Confirm the position with Southend-on-Sea before letting.