West Midlands (met county) · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in Birmingham
✓ Hand-verified 19 Aug 2026Birmingham operates discretionary property licensing. Letting an unlicensed property where a scheme applies risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000 and a rent repayment order — check whether your property is covered below.
Required for any HMO let to 5 or more people forming 2+ households who share facilities.
Birmingham sets this fee under section 63(3) of the Housing Act 2004. Its current charge is not yet recorded here.
The council’s own licensing page carries the charge that applies today — confirm it there before you budget.
Not established is not the same as free.
Birmingham operates a selective licensing scheme covering 25 of the city's 69 wards. The designation came into force on 5 June 2023 and runs for five years. Within a designated ward every privately rented home needs a licence regardless of how many people occupy it, so an ordinary flat or a house let to a single household is caught as well as shared housing. Because only 25 of 69 wards are covered, the ward is decisive: the council publishes an address checker so a landlord can confirm whether a specific property falls inside the designation rather than assuming from the postcode. The fee is £700 per property. Letting an unlicensed property inside a designated ward is a criminal offence carrying a civil penalty of up to £30,000 or prosecution, and exposes the landlord to a rent repayment order.
Areas: 25 of Birmingham's 69 wards: Acocks Green, Alum Rock, Aston, Balsall Heath West, Birchfield, Bordesley Green, Bordesley and Highgate, Bournbrook and Selly Park, Edgbaston, Gravelly Hill, Handsworth, Heartlands, Holyhead, Ladywood, Lozells, North Edgbaston, Small Heath, Soho and Jewellery Quarter, South Yardley, Sparkbrook and Balsall Heath, Sparkhill, Stockland Green, Tyseley and Hay Mills, Ward End, Yardley West and Stechford. NOT city-wide
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued.
| On application | £375 |
| On grant | £325 |
| Total | £700 |
- Discount for multiple properties
Birmingham — birmingham.gov.uk, read 19 Aug 2026
Scheme runs until: 4 June 2028
Birmingham operates an additional licensing scheme for smaller houses in multiple occupation, in force since 5 June 2023. A property let to three or four occupants forming more than one household needs a licence before it can be rented out, which brings smaller shared homes within licensing below the five-occupant threshold of the national mandatory regime. The fee is £755 per licence. Mandatory HMO licensing continues to apply separately wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households. Because Birmingham also runs selective licensing across 25 wards, a landlord should establish which scheme catches a given property before applying: a shared house of three or four occupants falls under additional licensing anywhere in the city, while a single-household let needs a selective licence only inside a designated ward.
Areas: All wards within the city of Birmingham, city-wide
One payment.
| Each licence | £755 |
Birmingham — Birmingham additional licensing designation 2023 on birmingham.gov.uk, read, read 19 Aug 2026
Scheme runs until: 4 June 2028
Common questions
Does Birmingham have a selective licensing scheme?
Yes. Birmingham operates a selective licensing scheme. Letting a property covered by it without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and the loss of the right to serve a section 21 notice.
Does Birmingham have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
Yes. Birmingham operates an additional HMO licensing scheme. Letting a property covered by it without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and the loss of the right to serve a section 21 notice.
Do I need an HMO licence in Birmingham?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Birmingham, where a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households who share basic amenities. Smaller shared houses may also need a licence where an additional licensing scheme applies.
- Free landlord compliance check — five questions, no account
- Tenancy agreement checker — findings cited to the Act and section
Selective licensing in Birmingham: areas, dates and fees →
Additional HMO licensing in Birmingham: areas, dates and fees →
All property licensing in West Midlands (met county) →
Source: Birmingham licensing page →
Every landlord in Birmingham also needs
A valid Gas Safety certificate (annual), an EICR (every 5 years), a valid EPC, a protected deposit, smoke & CO alarms, the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet, and a current How to Rent guide — plus the new Section 8 possession rules since Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026.
Check your Birmingham property in 30 seconds
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