THE PROPERTY FILTER TAKE
Slough Borough Council has opened consultation on licensing all 17,000 private rental properties in the borough - selective licences at £750 and HMO licences at £950, both for five-year terms.
For landlords, the cost hits yield directly with no early-bird or accreditation discounts; for your tenants, it signals higher property standards but risks a rent increase if landlords pass the fee on.
If you let in Slough, you may wish to model the yield impact now using our stress test calculator before the scheme is confirmed.
Slough Borough Council has launched a 10-week consultation on two new licensing schemes that would together cover almost every private rental property in the borough - approximately 17,000 homes. Landlords who let without a valid licence once the schemes are in force could face prosecution.
What the Schemes Cover
The proposals split into two parts. First is a selective licensing designation (a scheme requiring individual landlords to hold a council-issued licence before renting out a property). According to Slough Borough Council's July 2026 consultation documents, 14,686 properties fall within this category. These are homes let to a single person, a single family, or a household of up to two unrelated sharers.
The second is an additional licensing scheme, targeting Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) - properties where three or four tenants share kitchen or bathroom facilities - that fall outside mandatory HMO licensing rules. The council predicts approximately 1,350 such HMOs.
Enforcement data underlines why the council is acting. Between 2020 and 2025, 153 of 369 private rented sector housing enforcement notices served in Slough related to predicted HMOs, per the council's July 2026 consultation. The council also estimates 452 HMOs and 2,743 standard rented properties across the borough likely have a serious hazard.
A previous combination of schemes ran from July 2019 to June 2024. It ended with just 149 properties licensed under the additional scheme and 3,635 under the selective scheme. That gap in coverage appears to be a central motivation for the current, far more ambitious proposals.
Licence Costs and Key Conditions
According to Slough Borough Council's July 2026 consultation documents, a selective licence costs £750 per property for five years. An additional HMO licence costs £950 for the same period. A £75 surcharge applies if a landlord needs prompting to apply.
There are no early-application discounts or reductions for landlords who hold accreditation through a recognised landlord scheme. The council argues that administering a tiered fee structure would divert resources from enforcement - the part of the operation that directly drives standards up.
To understand the yield impact before committing, run your Slough portfolio through our stress test calculator. If you have housing benefit tenants, checking the current local housing allowance rates for Slough alongside that calculation is sensible.
What Your Tenants Are Thinking
For your tenants, this is more than an administrative formality. Councillor Zafar Satti, Slough's lead member for public protection and regulatory services, set out the intent plainly in the council's July 2026 announcement: "These licensing schemes mean there are more requirements for landlords to follow. They must take all measures to provide safe, secure and habitable housing for their tenants."
In practice, a licensing requirement signals to tenants that their landlord has cleared a baseline compliance check. Properties that meet those standards tend to carry lower void risk and stronger tenant retention.
The flip side is the cost pass-through debate. Licensing fees are a business cost, and there is no mechanism preventing landlords from factoring them into rents. For tenants on local housing allowance (the government subsidy paid to eligible private renters), any upward rent pressure can be especially sharp if allowances do not keep pace.
For a broader look at how regulation is reshaping investment returns across different strategies, see our property investment strategies hub.
The consultation runs until 23 September 2026. Results go to Cabinet before any scheme is formally approved.
Key takeaways
- Slough Borough Council is consulting on licensing schemes covering approximately 17,000 private rental properties - consultation closes 23 September 2026. - A selective licence costs £750 per property for five years; an HMO additional licence costs £950 - with no early-bird or accreditation discounts available. - The council estimates 452 HMOs and 2,743 standard rented properties in the borough likely have a serious hazard, driving the case for intervention. - A previous scheme ran from 2019 to 2024 but licensed far fewer properties than now proposed, suggesting a more aggressive approach this time.
Slough Borough Council has launched a 10-week consultation on two new licensing schemes that would together cover almost every private rental property in the borough - approximately 17,000 homes. Landlords who let without a valid licence once the schemes are in force could face prosecution.
What the Schemes Cover
The proposals split into two parts. First is a selective licensing designation (a scheme requiring individual landlords to hold a council-issued licence before renting out a property). According to Slough Borough Council's July 2026 consultation documents, 14,686 properties fall within this category. These are homes let to a single person, a single family, or a household of up to two unrelated sharers.
The second is an additional licensing scheme, targeting Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) - properties where three or four tenants share kitchen or bathroom facilities - that fall outside mandatory HMO licensing rules. The council predicts approximately 1,350 such HMOs.
Enforcement data underlines why the council is acting. Between 2020 and 2025, 153 of 369 private rented sector housing enforcement notices served in Slough related to predicted HMOs, per the council's July 2026 consultation. The council also estimates 452 HMOs and 2,743 standard rented properties across the borough likely have a serious hazard.
A previous combination of schemes ran from July 2019 to June 2024. It ended with just 149 properties licensed under the additional scheme and 3,635 under the selective scheme. That gap in coverage appears to be a central motivation for the current, far more ambitious proposals.
Licence Costs and Key Conditions
According to Slough Borough Council's July 2026 consultation documents, a selective licence costs £750 per property for five years. An additional HMO licence costs £950 for the same period. A £75 surcharge applies if a landlord needs prompting to apply.
There are no early-application discounts or reductions for landlords who hold accreditation through a recognised landlord scheme. The council argues that administering a tiered fee structure would divert resources from enforcement - the part of the operation that directly drives standards up.
To understand the yield impact before committing, run your Slough portfolio through our stress test calculator. If you have housing benefit tenants, checking the current local housing allowance rates for Slough alongside that calculation is sensible.
What Your Tenants Are Thinking
For your tenants, this is more than an administrative formality. Councillor Zafar Satti, Slough's lead member for public protection and regulatory services, set out the intent plainly in the council's July 2026 announcement: "These licensing schemes mean there are more requirements for landlords to follow. They must take all measures to provide safe, secure and habitable housing for their tenants."
In practice, a licensing requirement signals to tenants that their landlord has cleared a baseline compliance check. Properties that meet those standards tend to carry lower void risk and stronger tenant retention.
The flip side is the cost pass-through debate. Licensing fees are a business cost, and there is no mechanism preventing landlords from factoring them into rents. For tenants on local housing allowance (the government subsidy paid to eligible private renters), any upward rent pressure can be especially sharp if allowances do not keep pace.
For a broader look at how regulation is reshaping investment returns across different strategies, see our property investment strategies hub.
The consultation runs until 23 September 2026. Results go to Cabinet before any scheme is formally approved.
Key takeaways
- Slough Borough Council is consulting on licensing schemes covering approximately 17,000 private rental properties - consultation closes 23 September 2026. - A selective licence costs £750 per property for five years; an HMO additional licence costs £950 - with no early-bird or accreditation discounts available. - The council estimates 452 HMOs and 2,743 standard rented properties in the borough likely have a serious hazard, driving the case for intervention. - A previous scheme ran from 2019 to 2024 but licensed far fewer properties than now proposed, suggesting a more aggressive approach this time.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Who needs a selective licence in Slough?
How much does a Slough rental licence cost?
When is the consultation deadline?
What happens if I let without a licence?
