Selective licensing

We have successfully defended a legal challenge to our selective and additional licensing schemes. Following this decision, we will now move forward with implementing the schemes. See the update in full here.

About selective licensing

We have made a new designation relating to selective licensing within the borough of Luton.

The designation of a selective licensing area was made on 25 October 2023, but was delayed by a long appeal process.

It will come into force on 1 June 2026 and applies to the town centre and Park Town areas of Luton, as shown in the PDF link below.

List of roads within the selective licensing area (PDF, 173.14KB)

When the scheme is in force having control of, or managing a property let as, a residential accommodation without a licence shall be a criminal offence:

liable to prosecution
upon summary, conviction liable to a fine of an unlimited amount

Landlords should have applied for a license for all their properties by the time the scheme goes live. However, we have decided to allow a three-month ‘early bird period’ which ends on 31 August 2026.

During the early bird period, landlords can apply for their licence at a discounted price. We will not undertake any enforcement work until after that period has expired.

From 1 September the full fee will apply, as stated in the original consultation (below).

However, these fees were originally calculated prior to consultation in 2022, so they will be revised in time to reflect current costs. Fees listed on this webpage will be updated at that time.

Applications received after 1 September 2026 should only be those relating to properties recently entering the rental arena.

Choosing the license you need

Selective licensing is the licensing of all residential properties rented, within a specific area, to either:

one family
no more than two unrelated people, for example:
- 2 friends
- 2 people that are not family

We have also brought in an additional licensing scheme for the whole borough, which is for small houses in multiple occupation with 3 or 4 people living there.

Small houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) that fall within the selective licensing area need to apply for additional licensing, not selective licensing.

See the additional licensing page

HMOs with five or more people living there require a mandatory HMO license.

See the mandatory HMO licensing page

Apply for selective licensing

Apply for selective licensing through our licensing portal by clicking the green 'start now' button.

Be careful that you are applying for the right scheme.

Start now

If you have not used Metastreet before, read our guide to using the system.

Using Metastreet - self help guide (PDF, 1.59MB)

If you have any questions about the scheme, read the information on this page and the documents below carefully. If you still need to speak to us please contact us by email or phone.

Email: PSHEnforcement@luton.gov.uk
Telephone: 01582 547222

We will be experiencing a high volume of calls following these changes, so there is likely to be a delay in replying to your enquiry. We appreciate your patience.

After you've applied

Processing of applications will not commence until after the scheme comes into force. We expect to receive a large number of applications to be made, so please be patient with us while we deal with them as quickly as we can.

If you have already applied for selective licensing

We are aware some landlords have already submitted applications for selective licensing on Metastreet. These will be processed in due course.

If you requested a refund of payments when the selective licensing scheme was delayed, you will need to submit a new application.

If you wish to check the status of your application, you can do this through logging on to Metastreet. If you have forgotten your password, there is an option to reset it.