Property Licence

Oadby and Wigston licensing / Selective licensing

Selective licensing in Oadby and Wigston

Active in Oadby and Wigston

Selective licensing applies to most private rented homes inside a designated area. Oadby and Wigston has at least one active selective scheme. The detail below is built from the council's own pages.

What selective licensing actually means

A council can designate any part of its area for selective licensing under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004. Inside the designated area, almost every privately rented home needs a licence, whether the property is a single-family let, a small flat, or a house shared by a couple.

Selective licensing is not about HMOs. The rule keys off the fact that the home is privately rented, not how many people live in it or how many households share it.

Renting out without a licence inside a designated area is a criminal offence. Councils can apply a civil penalty of up to £40,000 per offence, and tenants can apply for a rent repayment order of up to 12 months of rent.

Check an address against the scheme

Enter the postcode and pick the address. We check the selected street against the council's published scheme area and tell you whether the licence applies.

Oadby and Wigston selective licensing schemes

Oadby and Wigston selective licensing 2025 to 2030

Selective licensing · active · Listed streets

Coverage
Listed streets
Runs
10 Nov 2025 to 10 Nov 2030
Term
5 years
Fee per property
£850

Oadby and Wigston selective licensing applies to privately rented properties in the listed Wigston and South Wigston streets from 10 November 2025 to 10 November 2030.

The scheme covers 182 named streets. The postcode tells you the council, but only the street name confirms whether the property is in scope. Adjacent streets can have different answers.

Standard selective licence fee: £450 application fee and £400 subsistence fee, £850 total.

Properties exempt from this scheme

  • Owner-occupied, housing association and council accommodation do not require a selective licence.
  • Temporary exemption notices may be available where the owner is actively selling the property or has gained full possession.
  • Properties that meet the Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006 are exempt.

Discounts the council offers

  • £100 discount from the application fee for active members of NRLA, EMPO or DASH.
  • £50 multi-property discount where the landlord includes the licence reference for another fully paid Oadby and Wigston selective licence.
  • Previous applicant discount for properties previously licensed under the earlier selective licensing scheme.

A landlord who qualifies for the strongest energy and accreditation discounts on this scheme pays around £750 instead of the headline £850 fee, a saving of £100.

Streets covered

Abington Close, Aisne Road, Albion Street, Alfreton Road, Arnold Avenue, Ashbourne Road, Avondale Road, Aylestone Lane, Baddeley Drive, Bakewell Road, Baldwin Road, Barge Close, Barnby Avenue, Basset Street, Bell Street, Belper Close, Bennett Way, Best Close, Birchtree Road, Blaby Road, Blenheim Close, Blunts Lane, Bradgate Drive, Brailsford Road, Bramcote Road, Breedon Avenue, Brighton Avenue, Brixham Drive, Bull Head Street, Burgess Street, Burleigh Avenue, Bush Lock Close, Bushloe End, Calverton Avenue, Canal Street, Carlton Drive, Castleton Road, Central Avenue, Chapel Lane, Chartwell Drive, Chatsworth Avenue, Chellaston Road, Cherry Street, Clarkes Road, Cleveland Road (up to 44), Clifford Street, Clifton Drive, Coronation Avenue, Countesthorpe Road, Crete Avenue, Croft Drive, Cromford Avenue, Curzon Avenue, Cutting Close, Dale Avenue, Darley Avenue, Denacre Avenue, Denmead Avenue, Devonshire Avenue, Double Rail Close, Duffield Avenue, Dukes Close, Dunton Street, Eastway Road, Elizabeth Court, Elizabeth Crescent, Ellison Close, Elwin Avenue, Ervins Lock Road, Exeter Road, Fairfield Street, Farleigh Avenue, Finson Close, Fir Tree Close, Florence Avenue, Foxton Lock Close, Frederick Street, Garden Street, Gibson Close, Gladstone Street, Glengate, Grange Road, Grangeway Road, Granville Crescent, Granville Road, Guildford Drive, Hansen Court, Hazelwood Road, Healey Street, Healthfield Road, Heatherley Grove, Highfield Crescent, Highfield Drive, Hindoostan Avenue, Holmden Avenue, Horndean Avenue, Ingleby Road, Irlam Street, Jordan Avenue, Junction Road, Keel Close, Kenneth Gamble Court, Kensington Drive, Kings Drive, Kingston Avenue, Kingswood Court, Kirkdale Road, Lansdowne Grove, Leicester Road, Leopold Street, Lock Gate Close, Lock Keeper Close, Long Street, Lynmouth Drive, Lyon Close, Manor Street, Mapleton Road, Margaret Crescent, Maromme Square, Matlock Avenue, Mayfield Drive, Mill Close, Milverton Close, Milverton Drive, Moat Street, Moores Close, Namur Road, Narrow Boat Close, Newstead Avenue, North Street, Northfield Avenue, Orange Street, Orchards Drive, Orson Drive, Owston Drive, Paddock Street, Park Road, Penney Close, Pochins Bridge Road, Pullman Road, Queens Drive, Railway Street, Ramsdean Avenue, Regent Close, Repton Road, Rolleston Road, Ruskington Drive, Rutland Avenue, Saffron Road, Sandown Road, Shackerdale Road, Shardlow Road, Shenton Close, South Avenue, Spring Lane, St Thomas' Road, Station Road, Station Street, Tansley Avenue, Taylors Bridge Road, The Crescent, Thorpe Drive, Tigers Road, Timber Street, Towpath Link, Two Steeples Square, Tythorn Drive, Victoria Street, Viking Road, Warmsley Avenue, Warwick Road, Weir Close, Weldon Road, West Avenue, Westerby Close, Westfield Avenue, Whitehead Crescent, Willow Park Drive, Willow Place, Wiltshire Road, Windlass Drive, Wright Place.

Apply for this licence on the council site

Who needs a selective licence

If the property is inside the scheme area and rented out under most types of tenancy, the landlord usually needs a licence. That includes a couple renting a flat, a single tenant renting a whole house, and a family renting a terrace.

A selective licence does not normally apply to social housing, holiday lets, properties under the Housing Act 1985 Part 7, or homes already licensed as HMOs. The council's notice of designation lists the exact exemptions, and they vary scheme to scheme.

Whoever is in control of the property is responsible for the licence. That is normally the freeholder for a house, or the leaseholder for a flat. A managing agent can hold the licence with the landlord's written agreement.

Selective licensing and HMO licensing in Oadby and Wigston

Selective licensing and HMO licensing are different rules. A property only needs one licence at a time. If the property meets the test for a mandatory HMO (five or more people in two or more households) or for an additional HMO licence the council runs, that takes precedence and the property does not also need a selective licence.

Oadby and Wigston does not currently run an additional HMO licensing scheme. Larger HMOs still need a mandatory HMO licence under national law, but a small house share that does not meet the mandatory threshold falls back under selective licensing in scheme areas.

The practical effect: check the HMO rules first. If the property is an HMO under either definition, apply for the HMO licence. If it is a single-household let inside a designated selective area, apply for the selective licence instead.

How to apply

Applications go through the council. Most have an online form that takes the property address, the landlord and agent details, gas and electrical safety certificates, an Energy Performance Certificate, and proof of right to manage. Councils ask for the fee up front, usually split between a non-refundable application fee and a grant fee paid when the licence is issued.

A licence usually runs for five years. If the council renews the designation, every existing licence has to be re-applied for. Fees and conditions can change between renewals.

A licence is tied to the named landlord and the named property. Sell the property, change the manager, or move out and the licence does not transfer. The council needs a new application.

What happens if you do not licence

Renting out an unlicensed property in a designated area is a criminal offence under section 95 of the Housing Act 2004. Councils can prosecute, or apply a civil penalty of up to £40,000 instead under section 249A. The decision is the council's, and a civil penalty does not need a court case.

A tenant can apply for a rent repayment order for up to 12 months of rent already paid. Universal Credit and housing benefit paid for the same period can also be reclaimed by the council under section 41 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016. Two separate offences in 12 months can trigger a banning order, which removes the landlord from the rental market entirely.

A landlord who has not applied for a licence cannot serve a valid section 21 no-fault eviction notice. The block lasts until the licence is in place. A tenancy started inside the scheme area without a licence remains valid; only the eviction route is closed.

Talk to Oadby and Wigston directly

Anything on this page that you cannot find an answer to, the council's licensing team can confirm in minutes.

Email the licensing team

[email protected]

Phone the licensing team

01162888961

Apply for a licence

Application form on Oadby and Wigston's website

Public licence register

Search licensed properties in Oadby and Wigston

Official licensing page

Oadby and Wigston council guidance

Mortgage and insurance implications

A buy-to-let mortgage usually requires the landlord to hold any licence the council demands. Lenders ask for the licence reference at the point of letting and again at renewal. Letting an unlicensed property in a designated area can technically breach the mortgage terms, and lenders have called in loans on that basis.

Landlord insurance is similar. Insurers normally require any licensable property to actually be licensed, and a civil penalty or rent repayment order can void cover for related claims. Disclose the licence status on renewal.

Buyers of let properties in Oadby and Wigston should ask the seller for the licence reference and the conditions attached to it. The licence ends on sale, but the conditions tell the buyer what improvements the council has already required.