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. Each page below sets out one council's schemes with the council's own page beside every fact.
| Council | Schemes | In force since |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | Selective licensing | 5 June 2023 |
| Bristol | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 6 April 2022 |
| Leeds | Selective licensing | 9 February 2026 |
| Liverpool | Selective licensing | 1 April 2022 |
| Manchester | Selective licensing | Varies by area |
| Newham | Selective licensing | 1 June 2023 |
| Nottingham | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 1 December 2023 |
| Oxford | Selective licensing | 1 September 2022 |
| Waltham Forest | Selective licensing, Additional HMO licensing | 1 April 2025 |
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
Your first property is free, permanently. The licence sits on the property with its expiry and is reminded like a certificate, by email, whether or not you sign in.
No card required. One property free, every feature included.
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