Brighton Selective Licensing Paused in Central Hove and Regency: What Landlords Need to Know
What Happened
On 6 July 2026, Brighton and Hove City Council published a Notice of Designation to extend selective licensing to two additional wards — Central Hove and Regency. The planned start date was 20 October 2026, with the scheme running for five years through 19 October 2031.
On 9 October 2026, eleven days before the scheme was due to go live, the council formally announced an immediate pause. A legal challenge had been brought against the designation, and the council chose to suspend implementation while it reviewed the judicial review proceedings.
The council hasn't named the challenger. Historically, Brighton's licensing schemes have drawn legal challenges from landlord bodies including iHowz and the Southern Landlords Association — the city's original selective licensing scheme was subject to a challenge that led to some scheme modifications.
What the Pause Means for Landlords
If your property is in Central Hove or Regency: You have no current obligation to apply for a selective licence. The scheme never took effect, so there's no enforcement exposure for not holding one. The council suspended its landlord engagement events and portal deployment for these two wards.
If your property is in one of the four original wards (Kemptown, Moulsecoomb & Bevendean, Queens Park, Whitehawk & Marina): Nothing has changed. Scheme 1 remains fully active and enforceable. The legal challenge applies only to the proposed Scheme 2 expansion.
HMO licensing is unaffected. Both the mandatory and additional HMO schemes operate city-wide regardless of selective licensing designations. A property in Central Hove or Regency that qualifies as an HMO still needs the appropriate HMO licence.
What Could Happen Next
Three possible outcomes:
The legal challenge succeeds. The designation is quashed. The council would need to start the designation process again if it wanted to license these wards — potentially with modifications to address the grounds of the challenge.
The legal challenge fails. The council lifts the pause and implements the scheme, likely with a new start date and a fresh application window for landlords.
Settlement or modification. The council and challenger reach an agreement that modifies the scheme terms without a full court ruling.
The timeline is uncertain. Judicial reviews can take months, and the council hasn't committed to a schedule for resolving the pause.
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What to Do Now
If you're a landlord in Central Hove or Regency, you don't need to act on selective licensing right now. But you should:
- Monitor council announcements. The council's selective licensing page is the official source for updates.
- Check your HMO status. The pause only affects selective licensing. If your property has three or four occupants from two or more households across two or more storeys, the city-wide Additional HMO scheme applies. If it has five or more occupants from two or more households, check the mandatory HMO rules.
- Prepare your documents. If the scheme eventually goes ahead, having your Gas Safety Certificate, EICR, EPC, floor plan, and inspection logs ready will mean you can apply quickly once a window opens.
For a complete overview of all active and paused schemes, the Brighton and Hove Landlord Licensing Guide covers the current status of every licensing route in the city.
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