Charnwood Borough Council is the licensing and planning authority for Loughborough. We check its rules for the exact street before we draw a single partition.
We cover LE11 and the neighbouring postcodes, with the same standards in Loughborough as anywhere else in Leicestershire.
HMO rules in Charnwood Borough Council
| Rule | Charnwood Borough Council |
|---|---|
| Mandatory HMO licence (5+ people) | In force everywhere in England |
| Additional HMO licensing | In force Whole borough, 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2028 |
| Selective licensing | In part of the area Hastings and Lemyngton wards in Loughborough, 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2028 |
| Article 4 direction for small HMOs | In part of the area Loughborough, since 12 February 2012 |
Checked October 2026 against Charnwood Borough Council's HMO licensing page. Schemes change, so we confirm the position for your address before any work starts.
Charnwood Borough Council's Article 4 direction covers Loughborough, so turning a family house in Loughborough into a small HMO needs planning permission. We check the planning history of the address as part of any licence work. Seven or more occupants always needs planning permission. Charnwood Borough Council also runs additional licensing across its whole area (until 31 March 2028), so smaller HMOs with three or four people from two or more households need a licence too.
Our HMO compliance audit service in Loughborough
An audit of an HMO in Loughborough checks the house the way a licensing officer would: room sizes, fire safety, amenities, certificates and paperwork. You get a written, prioritised fix list, so you know what needs doing before an inspection, renewal or purchase.
Councils across Leicestershire set their own HMO standards on top of the national rules. Our audits of houses in Loughborough check against both, and we can quote for any work the report identifies once you have read it.
- Certificates and tenancy paperwork checked for gaps and dates
- Fire precautions and fire risk assessment reviewed
- Every bedroom measured, including the 1.5 m ceiling rule
- Written report with a prioritised, photographed fix list
- Management Regulations 2006 duties checked on site
Letting to students and sharers in Loughborough
If the house in Loughborough is let to students or sharers, up-to-date certificates, measured plans and a current fire risk assessment make any council inspection more straightforward, and they are usually asked for with a licence application.