LetLens / Licensing by council / Ashfield
Landlord licensing in Ashfield
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Ashfield let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Ashfield also runs selective licensing, which can bring smaller HMOs, or every private rental, into licensing.
The licence you need turns on who lives in the property. Find the line that describes your let.
- Required by national lawThe same in all 296 English councils. Not an Ashfield decision.
Your propertyLet to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet
You needMandatory HMO licence In force England-wide
It costs£1,031.10 for a 5-bedroom HMO£1031 base + £91/occupant over 6
WhereEverywhere in Ashfield, as everywhere in England. Scope, fee schedule and source
- What Ashfield requires on topSchemes this council chose to run, and what differs from the council next door.
Your propertyA smaller shared house the national scheme does not reach, typically 3 or 4 sharers forming 2 or more households
You needNo additional HMO licence No scheme
Your propertyLet privately inside a designated area, whether or not it is an HMO
You needSelective licence In force
It costs£350, the same for a rental of any size
WhereDesignated area (postcode-resolved), not the whole of Ashfield. Scope, fee schedule and source
- Planning permission, a separate questionNot licensing. Whether you may create an HMO at all, decided by the council’s planning side.
Your planConverting a house (use class C3) into a small HMO (use class C4)
You needPlanning permission None in force
WhereNo direction here, so this is normally permitted development. The direction, its dates and its boundary
Each fee is for the example property named on its own line, from the council’s published schedule. Other sizes are priced separately; the full schedules, discounts and surcharges are below.
Or open NG17 9AL, a postcode near the centre of Ashfield, to see what a full report looks like.
Each scheme in detail, and the evidence behind it
Which properties each scheme catches in Ashfield, in the council’s own words, with the designations in force, the whole published fee schedule and the source for every figure. The three regimes can stack: a property can need a licence under one and still be caught by another.
Mandatory HMO licensing In force England-wide
Fee, 5-bed HMO£1,031.10£1031 base + £91/occupant over 6
- Where it applies
- National scheme
- Which properties
- Mandatory HMO licensing (Housing Act 2004 s55/s254): an HMO occupied by 5 or more persons forming 2 or more households who share amenities (kitchen/bathroom/toilet), where the HMO is the occupiers' only or main residence. NOTE: Ashfield's HMO licensing page frames the licensable HMO as one where 'there are 3 or more tenants' and 'there are 2 or more households' sharing facilities; the council operates NO additional (3-4 person) scheme, so the statutory 5+ mandatory threshold is the operative one.
The published fee schedule
- Base fee
- £1,031.10
- Base fee, paid in two parts
- £618.66 on application, then £412.44 when the licence is granted
- Size charge
- £91.35 per occupant above 6
- Renewal
- £606
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 2026
Other charges
- Renewal per tenant (renewal fee is the HIGHER of £606 flat or £121 per tenant): £121
- First-payment escalator per additional tenant over 6: £54.81
- Second-payment escalator per additional tenant over 6: £36.54
- Worked example (8-tenant HMO) first payment: £728.28
- Worked example (8-tenant HMO) second payment: £485.52
- Worked example (8-tenant HMO) total: £1,213.80
Additional HMO licensing No scheme
Selective licensing In force
Licence fee, any size£350
- Where it applies
- Designated area (postcode-resolved)
- Which properties
- All privately rented dwellings (houses and flats let on an assured shorthold tenancy) within the designated streets in parts of Stanton Hill and Sutton Central (New Cross); the landlord/owner must hold a selective licence to let the property in the designated area (Housing Act 2004 Part 3).
- Designations in force
- Ashfield District Council Selective Licensing Designation 2022 (Stanton Hill and Sutton Central / New Cross)
- Designation period
- 25 July 2022 to 24 July 2027
Ashfield District Council Selective Licensing Designation 2022 (Stanton Hill and Sutton Central / New Cross) covers Stanton Hill & Teversal, Sutton Central & New Cross.
The published fee schedule
- Fee
- £350
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 2022
Discounts
- Landlord accreditation scheme member (at time of applying): £100
Article 4 and HMO planning permission in Ashfield None in force
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Ashfield, so converting a house into a small HMO occupied by no more than six residents (use class C4) is normally permitted development and does not need planning permission on those grounds. An HMO for seven or more residents falls outside class C4 and needs permission anyway.
The research note behind this verdict
What happens if you let without a licence
Letting or managing an unlicensed property that needs a licence is a criminal offence, under section 72 of the Housing Act 2004 for an HMO and section 95 for a property caught by selective licensing. A council can prosecute, or impose a civil penalty instead. For conduct on or after 1 May 2026 that penalty can be up to £40,000 per offence, raised from £30,000 by the Financial Penalties (Housing Offences and Breach of Banning Orders) Regulations 2026. Tenants and the council can also apply for a rent repayment order, which for conduct from the same date can claw back up to two years of rent, up from one, under section 103 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
Both of those maxima apply only to conduct on or after 1 May 2026. Earlier conduct is still judged against the old £30,000 and twelve-month limits. Each breach is normally penalised separately, so an unlicensed portfolio in Ashfield multiplies the exposure rather than capping it.
The letting market in Ashfield
Licensing is only one side of the sum. These are medians from real listings we have collected, with the number of listings behind each one, because a median over a handful of adverts is a different claim from a median over hundreds.
- Median room rent£525 pcmFrom 109 room listings in Ashfield.
- Median whole-property rent£850 pcmFrom 66 whole-property listings.
- Typical 4-bed rent£1,129 pcmThe comparison a room-by-room let is measured against.
- HMO income premium+133%Five rooms let individually against one four-bedroom whole-property let, before the extra cost, licensing and voids that come with an HMO.
- Median sale price£180,000Across 329 sales in 2026, all property types, HM Land Registry.
- Gross yield, whole let5.7%Median whole-property rent for a year against the median sale price. Before voids, management, repairs, licensing and finance, all of which a real return has to carry.
- Gross yield, 5-room HMO17.5%Five rooms at the median room rent against the same median sale price. The higher figure is what pays for the licence, the extra management and the higher voids, rather than being profit on top of them.
- Typical household income£28,888Mean of net small-area median incomes around the council's main listing areas, not a council-wide median.
- Postcodes with flood exposure1.2%33 of 2,744 indexed postcodes.
- Postcodes in Flood Zone 313 (0.5%)The Environment Agency's highest-probability zone. Lenders and insurers ask about this one by name, and it is a subset of the exposure above.
Room rent by outcode
Room rent varies by £50 a month across Ashfield’s outcodes, so the council-wide median above is a starting point rather than the answer for a particular street.
| Outcode | Median room rent | Room listings | Check a postcode |
|---|---|---|---|
| NG15 | £550 pcm | 54 | Check NG15 |
| NG17 | £500 pcm | 55 | Check NG17 |
Postcode districts in Ashfield
Licensing, Article 4 and the fee all turn on the exact address, because a designated area rarely follows the council boundary. LetLens holds 2,744 Ashfield postcodes. Open one of its postcode districts to see the verdict, the local rent evidence and the investment model.
Common questions
Do I need an HMO licence in Ashfield?
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Ashfield let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Ashfield also runs selective licensing, which can bring smaller HMOs, or every private rental, into licensing. Selective licensing covers Designated area (postcode-resolved).
How much does an HMO licence cost in Ashfield?
£1,031.10 for a five-bedroom, five-person HMO under the mandatory scheme, from the council's published fee schedule. Fee basis: £1031 base + £91/occupant over 6. Larger or smaller properties, and any additional or selective scheme, are priced separately.
Is there an Article 4 direction in Ashfield?
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Ashfield, so converting a house into a small HMO occupied by no more than six residents (use class C4) is normally permitted development and does not need planning permission on those grounds. An HMO for seven or more residents falls outside class C4 and needs permission anyway.
Which wards in Ashfield are covered by licensing?
Selective licensing under Ashfield District Council Selective Licensing Designation 2022 (Stanton Hill and Sutton Central / New Cross) covers Stanton Hill & Teversal, Sutton Central & New Cross. A designation can cover only part of a named ward, so check the exact address rather than relying on the ward name alone.
What is the penalty for letting an unlicensed property in Ashfield?
Letting or managing a property that needs a licence without one is a criminal offence under the Housing Act 2004. The council can prosecute or impose a civil penalty, which for conduct on or after 1 May 2026 can be up to £40,000 per offence, raised from £30,000 by the Financial Penalties (Housing Offences and Breach of Banning Orders) Regulations 2026. Tenants or the council can also seek a rent repayment order covering up to two years of rent for conduct from that date, up from one year, under section 103 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Each breach is normally penalised separately. Indicative only, not legal advice.
About Ashfield
Ashfield is a local housing authority in East Midlands, with a population of about 128,000 and 2,744 live postcodes indexed by LetLens. It is the licensing authority for every private rented property inside its boundary, and the local planning authority that decides whether an Article 4 direction applies.
Nearby councils
Licensing stops at the council boundary, so a street on the other side of it can carry a different scheme and a different fee.
Contact Ashfield
Ashfield licensing team · [email protected] · 01623 450000