Selective licence West Northamptonshire: schemes and fees

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West Northamptonshire licensing schemes in force or approved

Additional HMO licensing

In force

Area covered	Area not confirmed
Runs	24 Feb 2025 to 23 Feb 2030

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

Checked 28 Sept 2026.

Upcoming: consultations and key dates in West Northamptonshire

Date	What	Scheme	Source
23 Feb 2030 estimated (start + 5 years) in 1244 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".

Mandatory HMO licensing in West Northamptonshire

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.

West Northamptonshire HMO licence register

We did not find an online public register for West Northamptonshire. Every council must keep one (Housing Act 2004, s.232) and make it available for inspection; ask the council's private sector housing team.

West Northamptonshire Article 4 and HMO planning rules

West Northamptonshire 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.

Tribunal record: rent repayment orders and civil penalties in West Northamptonshire

Figures below count First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) decisions published on GOV.UK for properties located in West Northamptonshire. 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	4 (4 in the last 3 years)
Orders made	4 (100% of decisions with a known outcome)
Median award	£3,848 (last 3 years: £3,848)
Total awarded	£19,008
Civil penalty appeals	7
Penalty upheld (in full or reduced)	57.1% · confirmed in full 28.6%
Median penalty: council's notice / after tribunal	£6,000 / £25,375
Other Housing Act appeals (licence terms, notices, orders)	2

Recent rent repayment order decisions in West Northamptonshire

Decided	Area	Property	Offence alleged	Outcome	Amount	Decision
5 Feb 2026	NN2	HMO	unlicensed HMO	Order made	£3,696	GOV.UK
27 Mar 2025	NN4	HMO	unlicensed HMO	Order made	£2,056	GOV.UK
31 Jan 2025	NN2	HMO	unlicensed HMO	Order made	£4,000	GOV.UK
3 Apr 2024	NN1	HMO	unlicensed HMO	Order made	£9,256	GOV.UK

Recent civil penalty appeals in West Northamptonshire

Decided	Area	Offence	Outcome	Council's penalty	After tribunal	Decision
30 Oct 2025	NN1	unlicensed HMO	Penalty cancelled	—	£0	GOV.UK
2 Jun 2021	NN4	failure to comply with improvement notice	Penalty confirmed	—	—	GOV.UK
23 Feb 2021	NN2	HMO management regulations	Penalty cancelled	£24,800	£0	GOV.UK
21 Dec 2020	NN2	HMO management regulations	Penalty varied	£3,750	£750	GOV.UK
24 Nov 2020	NN1	unlicensed HMO; failure to comply with improvement notice; HMO management regulations	Penalty varied	£6,000	£50,000	GOV.UK
17 Sept 2019	NN1	unlicensed HMO	Penalty confirmed	—	—	GOV.UK
17 Sept 2019	NN1	unlicensed HMO; HMO management regulations	Penalty cancelled	—	£0	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.

Landlord database deadline for West Northamptonshire

West Northamptonshire is in the East Midlands region of the new Private Rented Sector Database. Registration opens 15 Feb 2027 and the deadline to register is 14 May 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.

Get help with a West Northamptonshire licence application

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.

West Northamptonshire licensing: common questions

Is there selective licensing in West Northamptonshire?

We found no selective licensing scheme on West Northamptonshire Council's website as of 28 Sep 2026. Mandatory HMO licensing still applies to 5+ people in 2+ households. Confirm with the council.

How much is an HMO licence in West Northamptonshire?

We did not find a published fee on the council pages we checked. Mandatory HMO licence fees are set by each council, usually in two parts (application and grant). See the council page or our HMO licence cost guide.

Does West Northamptonshire have an Article 4 direction for HMOs?

How often do landlords in West Northamptonshire face rent repayment orders or fines?

The First-tier Tribunal has published 4 rent repayment order decisions for properties in West Northamptonshire (4 with an order made), median award £3,848, and 7 civil penalty appeals. Most penalties are never appealed, so the true number of fines is higher.

Sources

Last checked 28 Sep 2026. Information, not legal advice. Licensing schemes change often; always confirm with the council before you act.

Selective licence West Northamptonshire: licensing schemes, fees and enforcement