Selective licensing in Liverpool

What the designation says

Selective licensing, branded Landlord Licensing in Liverpool, covering 16 designated wards and approximately 80% of the privately rented homes in the city. The current scheme came into force on 1 April 2022 and runs to 31 March 2027. Since launch it has received more than 56,000 licence applications, granted over 48,000 licences, carried out more than 19,000 inspections, identified over 3,500 housing hazards and issued more than 1,100 enforcement notices. As at 4 August 2026 the scheme has NOT been renewed. Liverpool is running a 10-week public consultation, independently managed by Opinion Research Services, which closes on 5 October 2026 and sets out three options for a successor: a citywide scheme covering 64 wards, a deprivation-based scheme covering 29 wards, or a poor-property-conditions scheme covering 26 wards. No option has been selected and no successor designation has been made, so the expiry is left at the verified 31 March 2027 and no future date has been assumed. The council does not publish the 16 ward names on its landing page, so the coverage is recorded by count rather than an invented ward list. RE-CHECK AFTER 5 OCTOBER 2026. Verified 4 Aug 2026 against liverpool.gov.uk and Liverpool Express.

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.

Liverpool's own licensing page →