Council licensing report
Brighton and Hove runs at least one local property licensing scheme. Some rules apply to the whole council. Others apply only to listed streets, wards, or mapped areas, so the postcode alone does not always give a yes-or-no answer.
Status
Enter the postcode to confirm the council, then pick the address. If a scheme uses a street list, we check the selected street against it and give a direct yes or no.
We use the selected street to check loaded street-list schemes.
Selective licensing · active · Listed wards · 2 Sept 2024 to 1 Sept 2029
Brighton and Hove selective licensing applies in Kemptown, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, Queens Park, and Whitehawk and Marina wards from 2 September 2024 to 1 September 2029.
Kemptown, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, Queens Park, Whitehawk and Marina.
Additional HMO licensing · active · Whole council area · 1 Jul 2024 to 30 Jun 2029
Brighton and Hove additional HMO licensing applies citywide to HMOs of two or more storeys with three or four unrelated occupiers from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2029.
A property licensing scheme is not the same everywhere. A council can designate the whole borough, a handful of wards, a list of streets, or a boundary drawn on a map. Whichever option Brighton and Hove chose changes how confident you can be from the postcode alone.
This scheme covers 4 named wards. The postcode confirms the council, but the address has to fall inside one of those wards before the licence applies.
This scheme covers the whole of Brighton and Hove. Every privately rented property inside the council boundary is in scope.
The right licence depends on who lives in the property, how the household is structured, and where the property sits in the council area. These are the situations we see most often, with what Brighton and Hove's current rules say about each.
One adult renting a self-contained flat or a studio with their own kitchen and bathroom.
May need a selective licence if the address sits inside Brighton and Hove's designated scheme area.
Two people from one household renting an entire house on one tenancy.
May need a selective licence if the address sits inside Brighton and Hove's designated scheme area.
Parents and dependent children from one household renting an entire house.
May need a selective licence if the address sits inside Brighton and Hove's designated scheme area.
Three friends or three unrelated tenants on a joint tenancy, sharing a kitchen and bathroom.
Needs an additional HMO licence anywhere in Brighton and Hove. Mandatory HMO licensing only kicks in at five or more occupiers, so this property is not in scope of the national rule.
Four unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen and bathroom.
Needs an additional HMO licence anywhere in Brighton and Hove. Mandatory HMO licensing only kicks in at five or more occupiers, so this property is not in scope of the national rule.
Five or more unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen and bathroom.
Needs a mandatory HMO licence anywhere in England. The five-or-more, two-or-more-households test is national, not council-specific. An additional HMO licence is not also required.
Owner-occupier letting a room to one or two lodgers in their own home.
Letting to a lodger while you live in the property is exempt from HMO licensing in most cases. Selective licensing exemptions also normally cover owner-occupier lets.
Five students from at least two households sharing a converted house.
Needs a mandatory HMO licence anywhere in England. The five-or-more, two-or-more-households test is national, not council-specific. An additional HMO licence is not also required.
A property licence does not transfer when a property changes hands. If you buy a let property that needs a licence under Brighton and Hove's rules, the existing licence ends and you need to apply for a new one in your own name. The seller's solicitor should disclose any existing licence and any open enforcement notices.
For conveyancing in Brighton and Hove, ask three things before exchange. First, is the property inside any current selective or additional HMO scheme area. Second, is there an active licence in the seller's name and on what conditions. Third, has the council issued a civil penalty, banning order or rent repayment order against the seller in the last six years.
Owner-occupiers buying to live in the property do not need a licence. The rules only apply when a property is rented out.
Selective licensing · Approved, not started
Brighton and Hove made a selective licensing designation for Central Hove and Regency wards on 6 July 2026, due to start on 20 October 2026. On 9 October 2026 the council paused the start while it reviews a legal challenge. The scheme is not in force and no new start date has been set.
Anything on this page that you cannot find an answer to, the council's licensing team can confirm in minutes.
Email the licensing team
[email protected]
Phone the licensing team
01273 293 156
Apply for a licence
Application form on Brighton and Hove's website
Public licence register
Search licensed properties in Brighton and Hove
Official licensing page
Brighton and Hove council guidance
Council postcode checker
Brighton and Hove's own street or postcode lookup