Licensing · Nottingham City Council
Landlord licensing in Nottingham
Nottingham City Council runs 2 discretionary licensing schemes on top of national HMO licensing. Here is each one — where it applies, when it runs and what it costs — with the council page it came from.
Selective licensing
Privately rented homes in the designated areas of the city — not the whole city.
In force from 1 December 2023; the council's page gives no end date, and a designation ends no later than 30 November 2028 — the five-year statutory limit.
From 1 April 2026: £759 accredited, £950 non-accredited, £1,318 where the council deems the landlord less compliant — each paid in two parts.
This is Nottingham's second selective scheme. The council's My Property tool shows whether an address is inside it.
Nottingham City Council — scheme page(read 26 September 2026)
Additional HMO licensing
Citywide: HMOs of three or more unrelated people forming two or more households and sharing facilities.
The council describes this third additional scheme as citywide since January 2024.
Nottingham City Council — scheme page(read 26 September 2026)
Mandatory HMO licensing applies as well
Everywhere in England, a house or flat let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a mandatory HMO licence from the council — whether or not the area has a scheme of its own. The schemes above add smaller HMOs (additional licensing) or ordinary single lets (selective licensing) in the areas they name.
A property needs one licence, not several: an HMO holding a mandatory or additional licence does not also need a selective one. How HMO licensing works, and keeping the renewal in view.
The PRS database, in the East Midlands
Nottingham is in the East Midlands, where registration on the government's rental property register is required from 15 February 2027 with a deadline of 14 May 2027. The register asks whether the property needs a licence and for its number, so the licence comes first. East Midlands: what to have ready.
Where it sits
Every fact on this page was read from Nottingham City Council's own pages on 26 September 2026 and is linked beside it. Councils change fees each April and redraw schemes every five years; the council's page is the authority, and where it differs from this one, it wins. This is not legal advice.
Whether a particular address is inside a scheme is the council's to answer — use its address checker or map, not a ward name alone, because several schemes here cover only part of a ward.
LetBuddy sits beside the council, not in place of it. It holds the licence as a dated item on the property with its renewal reminded like a certificate, keeps the licence and the gas, EICR and EPC copies a council asks for, and records the licence number the PRS database will want. Applying is yours to do: nothing is submitted to the council from here.
Common questions
Do I need a licence to rent out a property in Nottingham?
Possibly, depending on where the property is and who lives in it. Nottingham City Council runs 2 selective and additional HMO licensing schemes, set out on this page with the council's own page for each. On top of that, any HMO with five or more people in two or more households needs a mandatory HMO licence wherever it is in England.
What happens if I let without a licence I need?
Letting a licensable property unlicensed is a criminal offence, and councils can instead issue a civil penalty. Tenants can apply for a rent repayment order — repaying up to two years' rent — doubled from one year on 1 May 2026.
Does the PRS database replace licensing?
No. The Register Your Rental Property service sits on top of licensing: it asks whether the property needs a selective, additional or HMO licence and for the licence number if it has one. Both apply.
How long does a licence last?
Usually up to five years, but never beyond the scheme itself: a selective or additional designation can run for at most five years from the day it came into force, so a licence granted late in a scheme can be shorter. When a council renews its scheme, landlords apply again under the new one.
Keep the licence dates in one place
Your first property is free, permanently. Add the licence with its expiry and the reminders run by email whether or not you sign in — next to the gas, EICR and EPC dates the council checks when you renew.
No card required. One property free, every feature included.
Licensing in other councils
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Read this next
- Licensing by councilSelective and additional schemes council by council, each fact linked to the council's own page.
- HMO licensingMandatory, additional and selective licensing, and the renewal nobody chases you for.
- PRS database: East MidlandsRegistration required from 15 February 2027, deadline 14 May 2027. Which areas count and what to have ready.