Medway's licensing schemes explained
A plain summary of what Medway Council has published about selective and additional HMO licensing, with a link to the council's page beside each point.
Every fact here was read from Medway Council's own pages on 11 November 2026. The council's pages are the authority and may change: check them before you act. Licence Prep is independent of the council.
The three kinds of licence
Medway Council is introducing two new schemes, selective licensing and additional HMO licensing, alongside the mandatory HMO licence that already exists. Its Cabinet approved the two new schemes on Tuesday 22 September 2026, after a public consultation. They apply only in the wards the council has designated.
Sources: Private rented sector licensing; record of Cabinet decisions, 22 September 2026 (PDF).
- Selective licence The council says a licence is needed where a property is rented to a single household, or to 2 unrelated people sharing, and is in a covered ward. Council's wording.
- Additional HMO licence For smaller shared houses: rented to 3 or 4 people from more than one household, with shared facilities such as a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, in a covered ward, and not already covered by the mandatory scheme. Council's wording.
- Mandatory HMO licence The existing scheme for larger HMOs, which the licensing page describes as those with 5 or more residents. Each large HMO needs its own licence. Council's HMO page.
Wards covered
Selective licensing covers 7 wards. Additional HMO licensing covers 6 of them: Strood North and Frindsbury is not included. Each map link opens the council's designation map for that ward.
| Ward | Selective licensing | Additional HMO licensing |
|---|---|---|
| Chatham Central and Brompton | Yes (map: selective licensing, Chatham Central and Brompton) | Yes (map: additional HMO licensing, Chatham Central and Brompton) |
| Fort Pitt | Yes (map: selective licensing, Fort Pitt) | Yes (map: additional HMO licensing, Fort Pitt) |
| Gillingham North | Yes (map: selective licensing, Gillingham North) | Yes (map: additional HMO licensing, Gillingham North) |
| Gillingham South | Yes (map: selective licensing, Gillingham South) | Yes (map: additional HMO licensing, Gillingham South) |
| Luton | Yes (map: selective licensing, Luton) | Yes (map: additional HMO licensing, Luton) |
| Strood North and Frindsbury | Yes (map: selective licensing, Strood North and Frindsbury) | No |
| Watling | Yes (map: selective licensing, Watling) | Yes (map: additional HMO licensing, Watling) |
To find the ward for a postcode, use the council's ward lookup. The designation maps are definitive. Being in a covered ward is only part of the test: whether a property needs a licence also depends on how it is let and who lives there.
Source: Private rented sector licensing, checked 11 November 2026.
Dates
- Monday 4 January 2027 From this date, landlords, or management agencies on behalf of landlords, may need to apply and pay for a selective or additional HMO licence. Applications can be made online from this date and not before.
- 3 January 2032 The schemes run until this date unless the council ends them earlier or extends them. Most licences will be valid until then.
- Shorter licences If the council finds problems with the property or its management, it may issue a shorter licence, for example 1 or 2 years, with conditions to meet within a set timescale. A new licence must then be applied for when it expires.
The council says properties that meet the criteria must have a licence before they can be legally rented to new or existing tenants.
The council's fees
| Licence | Part A, on application | Part B, after approval | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selective | £436 | £404 | £840 |
| Additional HMO | £830 | £770 | £1,600 |
The council says its fee covers processing the application, the required checks, property inspections, and administration and enforcement during the licence period.
Discounts on the council's fee. 25% for registered charities that provide housing and support for vulnerable tenants; 10% for landlords in a recognised accreditation scheme, with a valid certificate; 12.5% for multiple properties under a single freehold. Each needs evidence. Only one can be claimed, the highest that applies, and it is taken off Part B.
For a mandatory HMO licence, the council's fees and charges schedule for 2026/27 lists licensing of a house in multiple occupation at £1,600.
Source: Private rented sector licensing. These are the council's fees, paid to the council. Our own fee of £299 per property is separate and in addition.
Who may apply
The council refers to landlords, or management agencies on behalf of landlords. You apply to the council directly, online. You do not need to use Licence Prep or any other business to apply.
What the council checks
The licensing page says the schemes are meant to make sure landlords and property managers are suitable to manage rented homes, and that this includes checks on criminal convictions and previous conduct.
For HMOs, the council says that before it issues a licence it checks that the person managing the property, whether the licence holder or a managing agent, is a fit and proper person, that the property is suitable for the number of occupants, and that it meets the required HMO standards.
Sources: Private rented sector licensing; About houses in multiple occupation.
What the application will ask for
The council has not yet published the application form for the selective and additional schemes, or a full list of the documents it will ask for. The only evidence its licensing page names so far is the evidence for a discount.
We will not guess. When the form opens we will match our checklist to it, question by question.
What the council does publish is a set of conditions for running an HMO. They include a current landlord gas certificate, renewed yearly, where there is a gas supply; smoke alarms and other fire safety measures; safety certificates for electrical appliances; enough waste bins and storage; and keeping the property in repair and free of hazards.
Source: About houses in multiple occupation.
Penalties the council states
On its HMO page, the council says that operating an unlicensed large HMO is a criminal offence with a fine of up to £40,000, that each unlicensed property is fined separately, that tenants can claim back up to 12 months' rent if the property should have been licensed, and that landlords who repeatedly break HMO licensing rules can be banned.
The licensing page for the selective and additional schemes does not set out specific penalties. It says the council will take action where licensing requirements and conditions are not met. Ask the council, or take legal advice, if you need to know the consequences in a particular case.
Sources: About houses in multiple occupation; Private rented sector licensing.
Planning: Article 4 Directions
Licensing and planning are separate. The council says that in Chatham Central and Brompton, Fort Pitt, Gillingham North, Gillingham South, Luton, Strood North and Frindsbury, and Watling, planning permission is needed for certain HMO conversions and alterations. See the council's page on Article 4 Directions. We do not deal with planning.
Advice from the council
Medway Council offers advice to landlords, managing agents and tenants: phone 01634 333 333, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, or email PRSlicensing@medway.gov.uk. For HMO questions the council gives hmo@medway.gov.uk, and it publishes a public HMO register.
Which of your properties are in these wards?
Send us your postcodes and we will tell you, free of charge, which appear to fall inside the selective and additional HMO licensing wards.