Accountants in Hove

On 6 July 2026 the council announced that selective licensing would be expanded to Central Hove and Regency wards, with the new designation due to start on 20 October 2026 for five years. The council's selective licensing page now says the plans "have been paused pending the review of a legal challenge", and Property118 reported the pause on 14 October 2026.

So, as at November 2026, selective licensing is not in force in Central Hove. That could change once the challenge is resolved, so if you let a home there, check the council page from time to time and allow for a possible licence fee in your plans.

The city-wide additional HMO licensing designation, in force from 1 July 2024 for five years, applies in Hove just as in Brighton, covering HMOs of two or more storeys with three or four occupiers. We took the dates from a copy of the council's notice published by Brighton and Hove News, because the council's own notice page could not be read, so check with the council if a decision depends on them.

On the tax side, GOV.UK lists repairs, insurance, letting agent fees and accountant's fees among allowable costs for a rental business. You cannot deduct the full mortgage payment, only the interest, and relief on finance costs is restricted to the basic rate of Income Tax. Landlords whose gross income from property and self-employment is over £50,000 have been within Making Tax Digital for Income Tax since 6 April 2026, falling to over £30,000 from April 2027 and over £20,000 from April 2028.

We could not find any official economic figures for Hove on its own, so anything quoted here is for Brighton and Hove as a whole. The council's population summary gives 284,200 residents across the city in 2025 (ONS mid-year estimate).

The same council runs business rates for the whole city, so check the council's business rates pages for reliefs. Business support comes through the Brighton and Hove Growth Hub and the Business and IP Centre, both listed on the council's business support page, and the Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce covers Hove as well as Brighton.

Start with supervision. Under the Money Laundering Regulations an accountant who is not supervised by a professional body must register with HMRC instead, and GOV.UK says trading while not registered is a criminal offence.

Next, ask about membership. The word "accountant" is not protected in UK law, while "chartered accountant" is reserved for members of the institutes under their Royal Charters and rules. Then get the fee, what it includes and what would cost extra on paper, and if you are within Making Tax Digital, ask which compatible software they use.

• Rental accounts for a flat or two, including the split between repairs and improvements.
• Capital Gains Tax on selling a buy-to-let, where the rates for individuals are 18% and 24% from 6 April 2026 and the annual exempt amount is £3,000.
• Self assessment tax returns for consultants and home-based sole traders.
• Small limited company work, such as dividends (the dividend allowance is £500) and the annual confirmation statement, which now includes confirming that each director has verified their identity.

For a sense of price, see the cost guide, and how it works describes the steps after a Hove enquiry reaches us.