Additional HMO licensing in Birmingham

What the designation says

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.

What this means for a landlord

A licence must be in place before the property is let, not applied for afterwards. Operating unlicensed in a designated area is a criminal offence: a civil penalty of up to £30,000 per offence, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and a section 21 notice that cannot be served while the property is unlicensed. Mandatory HMO licensing applies separately and everywhere, wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.

Birmingham's own licensing page →