Licence transfers: how to spot a venue changing hands

When a licensed bar, restaurant or shop is sold, the licence does not move by itself. The new operator applies to the council to have the premises licence transferred to them, under section 42 of the Licensing Act 2003. For a supplier it is one of the clearest public signs that a business has changed hands.

How a transfer works

• The incoming operator applies to the licensing authority, and notice of the application goes to the police.
• The applicant can ask for the transfer to have immediate effect. If they do, the licence works as though they already held it while the application is decided, so trading need not stop.
• The police can object only where they are satisfied that the exceptional circumstances of the case mean the transfer would undermine the crime prevention objective.

Why you will not see it in the paper

New applications and full variations must be advertised. A transfer does not have to be, so it shows up on the council’s own register and nowhere else. A list built only from public notices misses changes of hands.

What it tells a supplier

• New owners tend to refit and to review their suppliers.
• A new designated premises supervisor is named by a separate application. On its own that rarely means spending, which is why CiviFlow leaves it out.
• Look the new holder up on Companies House. A company formed in the last few months is very likely a new operator.