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LetLens / Licensing by council / Derbyshire Dales

Landlord licensing in Derbyshire Dales

Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Derbyshire Dales let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Derbyshire Dales runs no additional or selective licensing scheme of its own, so smaller shared houses and ordinary rentals do not need a council licence here.

The licence you need turns on who lives in the property. Find the line that describes your let.

Each fee is for the example property named on its own line, from the council’s published schedule. The full schedules, discounts and surcharges are below.

Most recent source check: 6 August 2026. Each figure below carries the date its own source was read.

Or open DE4 2DD, a postcode near the centre of Derbyshire Dales, to see what a full report looks like.

Each scheme in detail, and the evidence behind it

Which properties each scheme catches in Derbyshire Dales, 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

Set by national law, not by the council. Any property let to five or more people forming two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet needs a licence, anywhere in England.

Licence fee, any size£627

Where it applies
National scheme
Which properties
HMOs occupied by 5 or more people forming 2 or more separate households (mandatory HMO licensing under s55/s254 Housing Act 2004; from 1 October 2018 licensable regardless of the number of storeys)
The published fee schedule
Fee
£627
Licence term
Up to 5 years
Fee schedule dated
2026

Council source · read 6 August 2026

Additional HMO licensing No scheme

A council may extend HMO licensing to smaller HMOs, typically three or four sharers, across all or part of its area.

Council source · read 6 August 2026

Selective licensing No scheme

A council may require a licence for every private rented home in a designated area, whether or not it is an HMO.

Council source · read 6 August 2026

Article 4 and HMO planning permission in Derbyshire Dales None in force

No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Derbyshire Dales, 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
Derbyshire Dales District Council's own Article 4 Direction page (https://www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/planning/conservation/article-4-direction) explicitly enumerates every Article 4 direction in the district: Wirksworth Conservation Area (revised direction in force 1 Aug 2014), Matlock Bridge Conservation Area, Matlock Bath Conservation Area and Osmaston Conservation Area (Coronation Cottages only). All are heritage/conservation-area directions covering windows, doors, roofs, porches, curtilage buildings, hardstandings, chimneys, walls/fences, painting and solar equipment; none removes the C3 to C4 small-HMO right (GPDO Sch.2 Part 3 Class L). A council site-search for 'houses in multiple occupation' returns only HMO licensing pages, no Article 4. planning.data.gov.uk returns 11 article-4-direction-area entities for E07000035, all made by the Peak District National Park Authority (the LPA for much of the district) and all covering minor operations/enclosures, mineral exploration, agricultural buildings or 28-day temporary uses (refs AP3, AP7, AP10, AP12, AP13, AP14, AP16, AP17, AP19, AP22, AP23) - none mentions HMO, C4 or Class L; the article-4-direction dataset returns 0 records for this GSS.

checked 26 July 2026

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 Derbyshire Dales multiplies the exposure rather than capping it.

Sources: Housing Act 2004 s72 · SI 2026/319 · Renters' Rights Act 2025 s103 · Shelter Legal England. Indicative only, not legal advice.

The letting market in Derbyshire Dales

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.

Postcode districts in Derbyshire Dales

Licensing, Article 4 and the fee all turn on the exact address, because a designated area rarely follows the council boundary. LetLens holds 2,296 Derbyshire Dales 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 Derbyshire Dales?

Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Derbyshire Dales let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Derbyshire Dales runs no additional or selective licensing scheme of its own, so smaller shared houses and ordinary rentals do not need a council licence here.

How much does an HMO licence cost in Derbyshire Dales?

£627 under the mandatory scheme, from the council's published fee schedule. The council charges the same whatever the size of the HMO. Any additional or selective scheme is priced separately.

Is there an Article 4 direction in Derbyshire Dales?

No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Derbyshire Dales, 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.

What is the penalty for letting an unlicensed property in Derbyshire Dales?

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 Derbyshire Dales

Derbyshire Dales is a local housing authority in East Midlands, with a population of about 72,000 and 2,296 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 Derbyshire Dales

Derbyshire Dales licensing team · [email protected] · 01629 761212