Brighton & Hove City Council has been rolling out selective licensing for privately rented homes area by area. Some wards have been licensed since 2024. A further extension to the Regency and Central Hove wards was reported to be due on 20 October 2026 — but the council has reportedly paused its introduction after a legal challenge, with no new date confirmed at the time of writing. If you let in the city, here's what's reported, and exactly where to confirm it.
Keep your licence & certs in date — free →General guidance, not legal advice · last reviewed 15 October 2026 · always verify with Brighton & Hove City Council & GOV.UK
Selective licensing has applied in a group of wards since 2024. If your let is in a designated area, you already need a licence — check your address on the council's page.
An extension to these two wards was reported for 20 Oct 2026, but the council has reportedly paused it after a legal challenge. No new date is confirmed — treat the position as unsettled and verify.
Houses in multiple occupation are generally handled under mandatory or additional HMO licensing, not selective licensing. Check which one applies to your property with the council.
This page is about Brighton & Hove specifically. For the national picture — how mandatory, additional and selective licensing differ — see our landlord licensing requirements pillar.
Brighton & Hove City Council introduced selective licensing in a first group of wards reported to run from 2 September 2024 to 1 September 2029. At the time of writing those wards are reported as:
A selective licence in these wards is generally needed for a home let to a single household or a small number of sharers. The council has described a longer-term plan to extend licensing across more of the city in phases — reported to be subject to Secretary of State approval for the wider roll-out — so designated areas can change. Confirm your exact property against Brighton & Hove City Council's scheme information before you assume you are in or out.
An extension of selective licensing to the Regency and Central Hove wards was widely reported, with a designation reported to have been made in July 2026 and a go-live reported for 20 October 2026. Then, in October 2026, the council reportedly paused the introduction after a legal challenge. Here's what's being reported — and why you shouldn't treat any of it as settled:
Don't guess — confirm the current position on Brighton & Hove City Council's selective licensing page, including whether the extension has resumed and whether your own address is in scope. If a scheme is in force where you let, letting without the required licence is a criminal offence — so this is one to check directly rather than rely on a headline.
Sources disagree on the exact amount and it is not something we can confirm from the council's own pages here. Fees are set by the council, differ between schemes and can change — check the current figure on the council's own page before you pay.
The precise document list is set by the council — check its application guidance for the current requirements.
Related: our national licensing requirements guide, and does the PRS Database replace selective licensing? — a council licence and the forthcoming national database are separate obligations.
Where a scheme is in force, operating a licensable property without a licence is a criminal offence under the Housing Act 2004. A council can either issue a civil penalty or prosecute:
Penalty figures and rules change, are set nationally and are not tied to a single offence — treat these as general guidance and verify the current position on GOV.UK and with Brighton & Hove City Council. Not legal advice.
A selective licence runs for years and depends on certificates that expire sooner. Whatever happens with the Brighton & Hove roll-out, LandlordProof keeps the paperwork together so nothing slips:
Honest about it: LandlordProof does not decide whether a Brighton & Hove scheme applies to you or issue any licence — that's the council's role, and this page isn't legal advice. It's a record-keeping and reminder tool. See the full picture on the compliance tracker.
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