East Midlands · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in West Northamptonshire
✓ Hand-verified 20 Aug 2026West Northamptonshire 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 1 | £650 |
| Part 2 | £855 |
| Total | £1,505 |
| Each hour | £115 |
- Renewal is charged identically
West Northamptonshire, read 20 August 2026
West Northamptonshire operates no selective licensing designation under s.80. Its only discretionary scheme is the additional HMO licensing designation made by Cabinet on 19 November 2024, commencing 24 February 2025 and expiring 23 February 2030, covering three and four occupier HMOs and qualifying s.257 HMOs. The Cabinet report and the apply pages present mandatory and additional licensing only; no s.80 designation, public notice or consultation appears on westnorthants.gov.uk or westnorthants.moderngov.co.uk. The predecessor Northampton Borough Council scheme this replaces was itself an ADDITIONAL designation made 16 October 2019, not a selective one. Settled negative by absence. Distinguished from North Northamptonshire, a separate authority. Established 20 Aug 2026.
West Northamptonshire operates an additional HMO licensing scheme that took effect on 24 February 2025 and runs for five years. It applies to properties occupied by three or four people forming two or more households, which mandatory licensing does not reach. The designated area covers the area of the council's previous 2020 to 2025 additional licensing scheme, which ended on 31 January 2025, together with further areas in Northampton and Daventry. The council introduced it to address inadequate maintenance, fire safety concerns and general property conditions in shared housing, and the effects of poorly managed HMOs on the surrounding community. Because the scheme covers designated areas rather than the whole district, an address should be checked against the designation rather than assumed from its postcode. Mandatory HMO licensing continues to apply separately wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.
Areas: The 2020 area extended westward plus additional areas in Northampton and Daventry. Covers HMOs with three or four occupiers in two or more households and qualifying s.257 HMOs. The full street and ward list is in Appendix D of the Cabinet report, a map plus street list not reproduced in the report body. This REPLACES the original Northampton Borough Council designation made 16 October 2019, in force 1 February 2020, which ceased 31 January 2025
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued.
| Part 1 | £650 |
| Part 2 | £855 |
| Total | £1,505 |
West Northamptonshire, read 20 August 2026
Scheme runs until: 23 February 2030
Common questions
Does West Northamptonshire have a selective licensing scheme?
No. West Northamptonshire 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 West Northamptonshire have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
Yes. West Northamptonshire 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 West Northamptonshire?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including West Northamptonshire, 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 West Northamptonshire: areas, dates and fees →
All property licensing in East Midlands →
Source: West Northamptonshire licensing page →
Every landlord in West Northamptonshire 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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