Reading has one discretionary licensing scheme on our record: additional HMO licensing (in force). A new scheme is being consulted on or awaiting a decision. Mandatory HMO licensing applies everywhere in England to HMOs with 5 or more people in 2 or more households.
Selective: proposedAdditional HMO: yesMandatory HMO: alwaysChecked 28 Sep 2026
| Area covered | Whole council area |
|---|---|
| Designation made | 17 Nov 2025 |
| Runs | 1 Mar 2026 to 28 Feb 2031 |
| Fee | £1,500 (Part A £750 + Part B £750) fee carried from existing council-verified d3 row (not re-read this pass) |
Council licensing page Designation notice Public register
Note from our check: includes s257 flats and HMO flats in purpose-built blocks; delivery partner Home Safe
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Area covered | Listed wards only (1 ward) |
|---|
Battle
Ward or street lists can split a road. Use the council's own address checker or designation map before relying on this list.
Council licensing page Public register
Note from our check: council decided to proceed after consultation; phase 1 Battle, later Park and Redlands; no designation or dates yet
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Date | What | Scheme | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Feb 2031 in 1614 days | scheme end | Additional HMO licensing | council |
Want a reminder before a deadline? Use the form at the bottom of this page and pick "Email me before my deadlines".
Whatever the local schemes, a licence is required for any house in multiple occupation let to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. This rule is national and has applied since 1 October 2018. Letting without a required licence is a criminal offence under section 72 of the Housing Act 2004. Read do I need an HMO licence? and how to apply.
The council's public register of licensed properties: Reading Borough Council public register. Use it to check whether a property already holds a licence, for example before you buy. Licences do not transfer to a new owner.
Reading does not publish Article 4 data to the national planning data platform, so we cannot tell you from official data whether an HMO Article 4 direction applies. Absence of data is not absence of a direction: check the council's planning pages.
Licensing and planning are separate. A licence does not give planning permission, and planning permission does not replace a licence. See Article 4 and HMOs.
Figures below count First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) decisions published on GOV.UK for properties located in Reading. They show how tenants and the council use enforcement here. Most civil penalties are paid without appeal, so they never reach the tribunal.
| Rent repayment order decisions | 5 (3 in the last 3 years) |
|---|---|
| Orders made | 5 (100% of decisions with a known outcome) |
| Median award | £3,600 (last 3 years: £3,600) |
| Total awarded | £30,203 |
| Civil penalty appeals | 1 |
| Penalty upheld (in full or reduced) | 100% · confirmed in full 100% |
| Median penalty: council's notice / after tribunal | £22,861 / £22,861 |
| Decided | Area | Property | Offence alleged | Outcome | Amount | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Jan 2026 | RG1 | HMO | not extracted | Order made | £17,100 | GOV.UK |
| 1 Dec 2025 | RG1 | House / not stated | failure to comply with improvement notice | Order made | £2,856 | GOV.UK |
| 25 Feb 2025 | RG2 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | Order made | £3,600 | GOV.UK |
| 8 Sept 2020 | RG2 | HMO | unlicensed HMO; unlicensed (selective licensing); unlawful eviction / harassment; failure to comply with improvement notice; violence for securing entry | Order made | £2,000 | GOV.UK |
| 27 Mar 2020 | RG1 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | Order made | £4,647 | GOV.UK |
| Decided | Area | Offence | Outcome | Council's penalty | After tribunal | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Feb 2023 | RG2 | unlicensed HMO; HMO management regulations | Penalty confirmed | £22,861 | £22,861 | GOV.UK |
Amounts and outcomes are extracted automatically from the decision text and can be wrong; open the decision on GOV.UK for the full reasons. Party names are not shown. Information, not legal advice.
If you have let without a licence you needed, read unlicensed property: what to do, rent repayment orders and civil penalties.
Reading is in the South East region of the new Private Rented Sector Database. Registration opens 15 Mar 2027 and the deadline to register is 14 Jun 2027. The published fee is £65 per property per year. Database registration is separate from council licensing: you may need both. See register your rental property.
We can prepare a licence application for you for a fixed fee; the council's own fee is separate. See pricing for what is included and how we make money. You can also run a full address check on the postcode checker.
Not yet. We found no selective licensing scheme in force on the council's website as of 28 Sep 2026, but a selective scheme is being consulted on or awaiting a decision (see "Upcoming" above). Confirm with the council.
Additional HMO licensing: £1,500 (fee carried from existing council-verified d3 row (not re-read this pass)). Fees for mandatory HMO licences are set by the council and published on its fees page.
Reading does not publish Article 4 data to the national planning data platform, so we cannot tell you from official data whether an HMO Article 4 direction applies. Absence of data is not absence of a direction: check the council's planning pages.
The council publishes its public register of licences here: Reading Borough Council register. Councils must keep a register of licences under section 232 of the Housing Act 2004.
The First-tier Tribunal has published 5 rent repayment order decisions for properties in Reading (5 with an order made), median award £3,600, and 1 civil penalty appeal. Most penalties are never appealed, so the true number of fines is higher.
Related: selective licensing in England · additional HMO licensing · HMO licence cost · HMO rules · HMO hub
Last checked 28 Sep 2026. Information, not legal advice. Licensing schemes change often; always confirm with the council before you act.