LetLens / Licensing by council / Oadby and Wigston
Landlord licensing in Oadby and Wigston
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Oadby and Wigston let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Oadby and Wigston 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 Oadby and Wigston 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£1,000, the same for an HMO of any size
WhereEverywhere in Oadby and Wigston, as everywhere in England. Scope, fee schedule and source
- What Oadby and Wigston 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£850, the same for a rental of any size
WhereDesignated area (postcode-resolved), not the whole of Oadby and Wigston. 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. The full schedules, discounts and surcharges are below.
Or open LE18 3RQ, a postcode near the centre of Oadby and Wigston, to see what a full report looks like.
Each scheme in detail, and the evidence behind it
Which properties each scheme catches in Oadby and Wigston, 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
Licence fee, any size£1,000
- Where it applies
- National scheme
- Which properties
- HMOs rented to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share a toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities (mandatory HMO licensing under Part 2 Housing Act 2004)
The published fee schedule
- Fee
- £1,000
- Paid in two parts
- £550 on application, then £450 when the licence is granted
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
Discounts
- Accredited landlord body member (NRLA, EMPO or DASH) - £100 off application fee (Accredited Fee £900 total): £100
- Multi-property owner - £50 off application fee where another Selective/HMO licence reference is quoted (Multi-Property £950 total): £50
- Combined accredited member + multi-property owner - £150 off application fee (Combination £850 total): £150
Additional HMO licensing No scheme
Selective licensing In force
Licence fee, any size£850
- Where it applies
- Designated area (postcode-resolved)
- Which properties
- Any privately-rented property within the designated streets of Wigston and South Wigston (Housing Act 2004 s80-84), subject to statutory exceptions (social housing tenancies, tenancies exempt under the Act, and buildings exempt under the Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006). HMOs already licensable under Part 2 are excepted from the selective scheme.
- Designations in force
- Wigston and South Wigston Designation of an Area for Selective Licensing 2025
- Designation period
- 10 November 2025 to 9 November 2030
The published fee schedule
- Fee
- £850
- Paid in two parts
- £450 on application, then £400 when the licence is granted
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- November 2025
Discounts
- Accredited landlord body member (NRLA, EMPO or DASH) - £100 off application fee (Accredited Fee £750 total): £100
- Multi-property owner - £50 off application fee where another Selective licence reference is quoted (Multi-Property £800 total): £50
- Previous applicant - property previously licensed under the previous Selective Licensing scheme (Previous Applicant £700 total: application £400 + subsistence £300): £150
Other charges
- Identified Property / Late Application Fee - application £750 + subsistence £400: £1,150
- Identified Property / Late Application - application fee (Part 1): £750
- Accredited + Previous Applicant combined - total (application £300 + subsistence £300): £600
- Accredited + Previous Applicant combined - subsistence fee (Part 2): £300
- One year licence following inspection (substandard condition) - subsistence fee: £800
- Variation to Licence (e.g. change of landlord address or managing agent): £30
Article 4 and HMO planning permission in Oadby and Wigston None in force
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Oadby and Wigston, 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 Oadby and Wigston multiplies the exposure rather than capping it.
The letting market in Oadby and Wigston
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 whole-property rent£975 pcmFrom 33 whole-property listings.
- Typical 4-bed rent£2,100 pcmThe comparison a room-by-room let is measured against.
- Median sale price£280,000Across 128 sales in 2026, all property types, HM Land Registry.
- Gross yield, whole let4.2%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.
- Typical household income£37,254Mean of net small-area median incomes around the council's main listing areas, not a council-wide median.
- Postcodes with flood exposure0.7%9 of 1,213 indexed postcodes.
- Postcodes in Flood Zone 36 (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.
Postcode districts in Oadby and Wigston
Licensing, Article 4 and the fee all turn on the exact address, because a designated area rarely follows the council boundary. LetLens holds 1,213 Oadby and Wigston 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 Oadby and Wigston?
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Oadby and Wigston let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Oadby and Wigston 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 Oadby and Wigston?
£1,000 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 Oadby and Wigston?
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Oadby and Wigston, 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 Oadby and Wigston?
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 Oadby and Wigston
Oadby and Wigston is a local housing authority in East Midlands, with a population of about 57,000 and 1,213 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 Oadby and Wigston
Oadby and Wigston licensing team · [email protected] · 0116 288 8961