Wales · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in Cardiff
✓ Hand-verified 20 Aug 2026Cardiff 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.
The band is set by the number of bedrooms.
| Part A | £160 |
| Part B | £230 |
| Total, up to 4 bedrooms | £390 |
| 5 to 9 bedrooms | £410 |
| 10 to 15 bedrooms | £440 |
| 15 or more | £460 |
Cardiff, read 20 August 2026
Cardiff Council does NOT currently operate a Selective Licensing scheme (Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004) covering all PRS properties in any area. Cardiff has not designated any area of the city as subject to selective licensing as of April 2026. The Welsh approach to PRS regulation is fundamentally different from England. Rather than the Housing Act 2004 selective licensing model, Wales operates the UNIVERSAL Rent Smart Wales registration and licensing scheme under the Housing (Wales) Act 2014. Every landlord in Wales — whether they let one property or many — must: (1) Register with Rent Smart Wales (registration applies to the landlord); (2) Either hold a Rent Smart Wales LICENCE themselves (if self-managing) OR appoint a licensed letting/managing agent (if not self-managing); (3) Pass a 'fit and proper person' test; (4) Complete Rent Smart Wales-approved training. This applies to ALL rental properties in Wales — single lets, family lets, sharers, HMOs — regardless of location. So while Cardiff does not have an England-style "selective licensing" designation, every Cardiff landlord still needs Rent Smart Wales registration and licensing in addition to any Housing Act 2004 HMO licence required. - Registration does not expire but Rent Smart Wales may charge a further fee after 5 years - Licences require completion of approved training (cost varies by provider) - Connected persons (employees, apprentices) must also complete training - Each separate ownership "group" needs separate registration (e.g. solo + joint ownership = two registrations) - Operating without registration or licence has been an offence since 23 November 2016 - Hosted by Cardiff Council; designated as the Licensing Authority for the whole of Wales by Welsh Ministers in 2015 Cardiff landlords letting single-family lets or to single occupants/couples do NOT need an Housing Act 2004 selective licence. They DO need Rent Smart Wales registration + licence. They do NOT need an Additional HMO Licence unless their property is in Cathays or Plasnewydd AND has 3+ unrelated occupants. Rent Smart Wales — rentsmart.gov.wales / Cardiff Council Licensing Team — srs.wales.
the Cathays additional HMO licensing designation. Cabinet approved re-designation on 20 October 2022 (cardiff.moderngov.co.uk document s64283) and the scheme came into force 1 February 2023 for five years, covering all HMOs in the Cathays Community Ward; previous designations ran from 1 July 2010 and 1 January 2016. Corroborated by the Welsh Government HMO licensing statistical release noting Cathays additional licensing was reintroduced in 2023. The earlier Plasnewydd additional designation commenced 1 January 2021 and ended 31 December 2025; it is EXPIRED and must not be presented as live. Wales rule applied: Rent Smart Wales is a separate national regime and played no part in this verdict. Cardiff delivers licensing through Shared Regulatory Services with Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend. Established 20 Aug 2026.
Areas: Cathays Community Ward (all HMOs). The earlier Plasnewydd designation commenced 1 January 2021 and EXPIRED 31 December 2025
Cardiff publishes this much: Same fee schedule as mandatory. Two designations: Cathays, live from 1 February 2023 for five years, so ending on or about 31 January 2028; and Plasnewydd (Roath), live from 1 January 2021 for five years, which ended on or about 31 December 2025 and appears to have EXPIRED.
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.
Scheme runs until: 31 January 2028
Common questions
Does Cardiff have a selective licensing scheme?
No. Cardiff does not currently operate a selective licensing scheme. Mandatory HMO licensing still applies wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.
Does Cardiff have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
Yes. Cardiff 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 Cardiff?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Cardiff, 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 explained: who needs it, how to check
- Additional HMO licensing: the scheme for small shared houses
- Selective, additional or mandatory: which licence applies
- Do I need a licence to rent out my house?
Welsh letting law is not English letting law. These cover what actually applies here.
Additional HMO licensing in Cardiff: areas, dates and fees →
All property licensing in Wales →
Source: Cardiff licensing page →
Every landlord in Cardiff also needs
A valid Gas Safety certificate (annual), an EICR (every 5 years), a valid EPC, a protected deposit, and smoke & CO alarms. In Wales you must also be licensed with Rent Smart Wales (or use a licensed agent), issue a written occupation contract and the accompanying written statement, and comply with the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 — which replaced assured shorthold tenancies with occupation contracts and ended Section 21 in Wales in December 2022. The England-only How to Rent guide and Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet do not apply here.
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