Selective licensing in Regency and Central Hove will not start on 20 October after a legal challenge. Up to 7,274 rented homes were due to need a licence.
Landlords in Regency and Central Hove will not need a selective licence from 20 October after all. Brighton & Hove City Council has paused the scheme’s launch in the two wards, 11 days before it was due to start.
The council said on Friday that the pause “follows a legal challenge, which the council now needs to take time to consider” (council, 9 October 2026). It has not said who brought the challenge or on what grounds. Its planned launch events for landlords are postponed while it reviews the scheme.
What was due to happen
The council published the designation on 6 July. It said up to 7,274 properties in the two wards would need a licence (council, 6 July 2026).
The formal notice set out the plan:
- the designation was to come into force on 20 October 2026 and run until midnight on 19 October 2031
- applications were to open online on 20 October
- it covered homes let to one or two occupiers or a family, but not licensed HMOs, housing association homes or homes under a council management order
- running a licensable home without a licence would have risked prosecution and an unlimited fine, or a civil penalty of up to £40,000
The notice is on the council’s designation page. The council’s main selective licensing page still said on Monday morning that the designation “will come into force on 20 October 2026”. The newsroom statement is the later word.
In the existing scheme a licence costs £740, or £665 and £590 with one or two discounts, and £840 for a late application (council fees page).
What the council said
Councillor Gill Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “We have decided to pause the introduction of the scheme planned for 20 October while we review the next steps. This will give us time to ensure that any future implementation is built on the strongest possible foundations.”
She added that the council remained “committed to working in partnership” with responsible landlords. The council said more than 40 landlords and agents joined its first online information session.
When the expansion was announced in July, Councillor Williams said “nearly a third of households in Brighton & Hove” rent privately. The council’s interim review says 33% of homes in the city are privately rented, against 20% across England.
The first four wards carry on
The pause covers Regency and Central Hove only. The original scheme in Kemptown, Moulsecoomb & Bevendean, Queens Park, and Whitehawk & Brighton Marina has run since 2 September 2024 and is due to end on 1 September 2029.
The council’s interim review of that scheme covers the period to 19 March 2026. It found:
- 5,114 applications, against an original estimate of about 5,500 licensable homes
- 2,755 draft licences and 1,399 full licences issued, and none refused
- 759 homes inspected, 15% of the target to inspect every licensed home during the scheme
- 194 inspections that found Category 1 or 2 hazards, around 26%, including fire safety, falls, excess cold, and damp and mould
- 9 homes identified with an EPC rating of F or G
The review says inspections rose after the council recruited five technical officers in 2025. It also says the team now issues licences before inspecting, to clear applications faster.
What it means for you
- If you let a home in Regency or Central Hove, you do not need to apply for a selective licence on 20 October. The council has not said when, or whether, the scheme will now start. Watch the selective licensing page for a new date.
- HMO licensing is unaffected. Mandatory HMO licensing and the citywide additional HMO scheme still apply, and the designation notice lists both separately.
- If you let in the four original wards, nothing changes. You still need a licence.
- If you rent and have a repair problem, the council’s Private Sector Housing team still takes reports without any licensing scheme in force. Email psh@brighton-hove.gov.uk or call 01273 293 156.
The Renters’ Rights Act, in force since 1 May 2026, gives the council wider powers to investigate and fine landlords whatever happens to the licensing scheme (council, 30 April 2026). For what homes in the city cost to buy, see Brighton house prices.
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