Licensing
Landlord licensing, council by council
Councils can require a licence for ordinary rented homes (selective licensing) or for smaller shared houses (additional licensing) in the areas they choose.
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Each page below sets out one council's schemes with the council's own page beside every fact.
| Council | Schemes | In force since |
|---|---|---|
| Barking and Dagenham | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 9 January 2025 |
| Bedford | Additional HMO licensing | 21 May 2023 |
| Bexley | Selective licensing | 13 January 2025 |
| Birmingham | Selective licensing | 5 June 2023 |
| Blackpool | Selective licensing | 1 April 2025 |
| Brent | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 1 August 2023 |
| Brighton and Hove | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 1 July 2024 |
| Bristol | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 6 April 2022 |
| Burnley | Selective licensing | 21 July 2022 |
| Camden | Additional HMO licensing | 8 December 2025 |
| County Durham | Selective licensing | 1 April 2022 |
| Coventry | Additional HMO licensing | 4 May 2025 |
| Croydon | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 25 September 2026 |
| Ealing | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 1 April 2022 |
| Enfield | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 1 September 2025 |
| Gloucester | Additional HMO licensing | 21 September 2026 |
| Greenwich | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | Varies by area |
| Grimsby | Selective licensing | 8 April 2026 |
| Hackney | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | Varies by area |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 5 June 2022 |
| Haringey | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 17 November 2022 |
| Harrow | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 2 May 2026 |
| Havering | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 18 March 2026 |
| Hillingdon | Additional HMO licensing | Varies by area |
| Hounslow | Additional HMO licensing | 11 December 2025 |
| Islington | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 23 November 2026 |
| Lambeth | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 9 December 2021 |
| Leeds | Selective licensing | 9 February 2026 |
| Leicester | Selective licensing | Varies by area |
| Lewisham | Selective licensing | 1 July 2024 |
| Liverpool | Selective licensing | 1 April 2022 |
| Luton | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 1 June 2026 |
| Manchester | Selective licensing | Varies by area |
| Mansfield | Selective licensing | 13 September 2025 |
| Merton | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | Varies by area |
| Middlesbrough | Selective licensing | 5 August 2024 |
| Newcastle | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 1 October 2026 |
| Newham | Selective licensing | 1 June 2023 |
| Northampton | Additional HMO licensing | 24 February 2025 |
| Nottingham | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 1 December 2023 |
| Oldham | Selective licensing | Varies by area |
| Oxford | Selective licensing | 1 September 2022 |
| Peterborough | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 11 March 2024 |
| Portsmouth | Additional HMO licensing | Varies by area |
| Reading | Additional HMO licensing | 1 March 2026 |
| Redbridge | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | Varies by area |
| Rochdale | Additional HMO licensing | Varies by area |
| Rotherham | Selective licensing | 15 February 2026 |
| Salford | Selective licensing | Varies by area |
| Sandwell | Additional HMO licensing | 1 October 2024 |
| Sefton | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | Varies by area |
| Southampton | Additional HMO licensing | 1 October 2025 |
| Southend | Selective licensing | 1 December 2021 |
| Southwark | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | Varies by area |
| Sutton | Additional HMO licensing | Varies by area |
| Telford | Additional HMO licensing | Varies by area |
| Tower Hamlets | Additional HMO licensing | 1 April 2024 |
| Walsall | Additional HMO licensing | 1 September 2022 |
| Waltham Forest | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 1 April 2025 |
| Wandsworth | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 1 July 2025 |
| Westminster | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 24 November 2025 |
| Wirral | Selective licensing | 1 October 2025 |
| York | Additional HMO licensing | 1 April 2023 |
Not every council is here yet. A council is added once its scheme has been read from its own pages, with the date it was read, so a missing council means “not yet checked”, not “no scheme”.
Common questions
What is the difference between selective and additional licensing?
Both are schemes a council chooses to run in areas it designates, for up to five years at a time. Selective licensing covers ordinary privately rented homes — a single let to a family or one or two sharers. Additional licensing covers smaller HMOs that fall below the national mandatory threshold of five people. Mandatory HMO licensing applies everywhere in England regardless.
My council is not listed. Does that mean there is no scheme?
No. This list holds only the councils whose schemes we have read from the council's own pages, and it grows. Check your council's private housing or licensing page directly — searching the council's name with "selective licensing" usually finds it.
A licence is a date to keep
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