Merseyside · Council licensing
Liverpool 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. Check the council for the current fee.
Liverpool City Council operates a major selective licensing scheme covering 16 wards across the city. The scheme came into force on 1 April 2022 and runs for 5 years until 31 March 2027. Approximately 45,000 of the city's 55,000 privately rented homes (around 80%) are covered. The scheme replaced an earlier 2015-2020 city-wide scheme - the previous scheme identified 4,350 category 1/2 hazards, issued 2,500+ legal notices, secured 300 successful landlord prosecutions and 87 civil penalties. The current scheme was approved by Secretary of State after the original 2019 renewal application was blocked. Liverpool City Council announced in February 2026 that it was expanding the Landlord Licensing enforcement team by 7 immediately and a further 27 across the next financial year, ahead of Renters Rights Act 2025 commencement on 1 May 2026. Applications are managed via the council's LAR (Licensing and Regulations) online system - LAR can only be accessed from within the UK.
Areas: designated wards across the city
Scheme runs until: 31 March 2027
No additional licensing scheme is currently in force.
Source: Liverpool licensing page →
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.
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