The short answer
If you privately rent a home on a street in Peterborough's designated selective licensing areas, you need a licence from the council, unless an exemption applies. The scheme started on 11 March 2024 and runs until 10 March 2029. A licence costs £908 in total, and you apply through Home Safe, the council's partner.
Which areas are covered?
The designated areas are streets within these ten electoral wards:
- Bretton
- Central
- East
- Fletton and Stanground
- Fletton and Woodston
- North
- Orton Waterville
- Park
- Paston and Walton
- Stanground South
Not every street in these wards is included. Check the exact street on the council's list or online map before deciding.
See the street list on Peterborough City Council's website (opens in a new tab)
Which homes need a licence?
Inside the designated areas, each privately rented home needs its own licence if it is let to:
- one person
- more than one person forming one household, such as a family
- two unrelated people forming two households, such as two friends
The rules cover flats as well as houses. Homes shared by three or more people from different households are HMOs, which have their own licensing – see our HMO licensing guide. If you already hold a mandatory HMO licence, you do not need a selective licence as well.
Exemptions
Examples of homes that do not need a selective licence include council and housing association tenancies, holiday lets, tenancies of more than 21 years, business tenancies, student accommodation run by a college or school, licensable HMOs, and homes covered by a temporary exemption notice. The council's page lists the full exemptions.
How much does a licence cost?
| Part | What it covers | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Part A | Processing the application, paid when you apply | £538 |
| Part B | Compliance work for the scheme, paid before the final licence is issued | £370 |
| Total | £908 |
The fee is the same whenever in the scheme you apply, and licences cannot be transferred – a new owner or a new licence holder needs a new application.
How to apply
- Check the street is in a designated area and the home is not exempt.
- Decide who will be the licence holder – usually the owner, though it can be a managing agent with the power to meet the licence conditions.
- Gather the safety certificates and a floor plan.
- Apply and pay Part A through the Home Safe website.
Once an application has been properly made – the form completed, the certificates and floor plan provided and the fee paid – you are not committing the offence of letting without a licence while it is decided.
What if you do not apply?
Renting a home in a designated area without applying is an offence. The council can issue a financial penalty of up to £40,000, or a court can impose an unlimited fine, and landlords can be ordered to repay up to 24 months' rent. Breaking a licence condition can bring a civil penalty of up to £30,000 per offence.
Need help? We help with licence applications and deal with the council with you, for £100 plus the council's fee. Free rental valuation.
Sources
- Peterborough City Council, Selective licensing scheme (opens in a new tab)
- Peterborough City Council, HMO licensing information (opens in a new tab) – last updated 2 September 2026
Checked 28 September 2026. The council's pages are the authority; check them before you rely on this guide.