Slough Borough Council has opened a 10-week consultation on new landlord licensing proposals that, if approved, would reach almost 17,000 privately rented homes across the borough. The move seeks to reintroduce selective and additional licensing arrangements borough-wide, building on schemes that ran between 2019 and 2024.
What the proposals would cover
The consultation outlines two types of schemes:
- Selective licensing — aimed at privately rented properties occupied by a single person, a family or up to two unrelated sharers.
- Additional licensing — intended for smaller houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) not already subject to mandatory HMO licensing, including dwellings where three or four tenants share facilities.
Councillor Zafar Satti, the council’s lead member for public protection and regulatory services, said the schemes would impose stricter requirements on landlords to ensure properties are “safe, secure and habitable” and that tightening rules would protect residents and communities while improving housing standards.
“Toughening the rules for the private rented and HMO sectors will only be a good thing, as it puts in place measures to protect residents and communities.”
Background and local context
The council’s figures indicate there are an estimated 2,024 HMOs among the borough’s roughly 58,540 properties, with around 22.3% of those HMOs predicted to contain a serious hazard. Between 2020 and 2025, Slough served 369 private rented sector housing enforcement notices; 153 of those related to HMOs.
Previous licensing activity in the borough between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2024 produced 149 additional licences and 3,635 selective licences. The present proposals are intended to extend and build on those earlier measures to further improve conditions in the private rented sector.
Practical consequences for landlords and tenants
If adopted, landlords covered by either scheme would be required to obtain a licence for their property and pay a fee for a licence that would last up to the period specified in the consultation documentation. The consultation material links the presence of predicted HMOs to a higher share of anti-social behaviour complaints and planning issues.
| Figure | Reported total |
|---|---|
| Estimated HMOs | 2,024 |
| Total properties in borough | 58,540 |
| Private rented enforcement notices (2020–25) | 369 |
| Notices relating to HMOs | 153 |
The consultation is the formal stage for local people, landlords and other stakeholders to comment on the proposed scope, conditions and fees. Any change would alter the regulatory obligations for a large portion of Slough’s private rented sector and could affect landlord costs and tenant protections.
Further details on how to respond to the consultation and the precise terms of the proposed licences are available from Slough Borough Council during the consultation period.
