UK Landlord Licensing Consultations

Medway Council is consulting on two property licensing proposals. Selective Licensing is proposed for all privately rented homes (excluding HMOs) in seven wards: Chatham Central and Brompton, Fort Pitt, Gillingham North, Gillingham South, Luton, Strood North and Frindsbury, and Watling. Additional HMO Licensing is proposed for smaller shared houses (3 or 4 people forming more than one household) that do not fall under mandatory licensing, covering six wards: Chatham Central and Brompton, Fort Pitt, Gillingham North, Gillingham South, Luton, and Watling. The council states these schemes are needed to address poor housing conditions and raise standards in the private rented sector.

The Northern Ireland Department for Communities is consulting on proposed amendments to the Landlord Registration Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014. More than 130,000 households now live in privately rented homes in Northern Ireland. The proposed changes aim to make the scheme a more effective tool for improving landlords knowledge of, and compliance with, their legal duties. Key proposals include requiring landlords to provide more information on property standards at the point of registration, and enabling the sharing of register data to support gas safety enforcement and housing policy development. Note: The original closing date of 27 April 2026 has been extended to 8 June 2026.

At a cabinet meeting on 20 April 2026, Slough Borough Council discussed plans to reintroduce and expand its property licensing schemes to cover all wards across the borough. The council previously had a selective licensing scheme in central Slough and Chalvey, and a borough-wide additional licensing scheme, both of which ran from 2020 to 2024. The council intends to launch a 10-week public consultation on these new proposals before bringing them back to cabinet in autumn 2026. No consultation has launched yet.

Durham County Council is seeking Cabinet approval (6 May 2026) to launch a 10-week public consultation on reviewing and renewing its Selective Licensing scheme. The current scheme is due to expire on 31 March 2027. The council intends to consult on whether to renew the scheme and potentially expand its scope before bringing a final decision back to Cabinet in autumn 2026. No consultation has launched yet.