Additional HMO licensing in Birmingham
Yes. Birmingham operates an additional HMO licensing scheme. Letting a covered property without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £40,000 and a rent repayment order of up to two years' rent.
Common questions
Do I need an additional HMO licence in Birmingham?
Yes. Birmingham operates an additional HMO licensing scheme. Letting a covered property without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £40,000 and a rent repayment order of up to two years' rent.
Which areas of Birmingham does the scheme cover?
All wards within the city of Birmingham, city-wide. Confirm a specific address against the council's own designation map before applying.
When does Birmingham's scheme end?
The designation runs until 4 June 2028, unless the council revokes it earlier under section 84 of the Housing Act 2004.
What does the licence cost?
£755. Councils commonly discount for accredited landlords and early applications; confirm the current figure with Birmingham before budgeting.
One payment.
| Each licence | £755 |
Birmingham — Birmingham additional licensing designation 2023 on birmingham.gov.uk, read, read 19 Aug 2026
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 £40,000 per offence and a rent repayment order of up to two years' rent. Both maxima apply to conduct on or after 1 May 2026; before that date they were £30,000 and twelve months. Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026 and possession now runs through the amended section 8 grounds. Mandatory HMO licensing applies separately and everywhere, wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.
Information tool, not legal advice. Confirm the position with Birmingham before letting.