Property licensing in West Midlands (met county)

4 of the 7 councils we track in West Midlands (met county) operate a selective or additional HMO licensing scheme — 57%. Mandatory HMO licensing applies in every one of them regardless, wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households. A licence from one council never covers a property in another.

What a licence costs in West Midlands (met county)

Across the 5 councils in West Midlands (met county) where we hold a published fee, the figures we have read run from £700 (Birmingham, selective) to £1,240 (Walsall, mandatory HMO). That is 8 fees in total, taken from each council's own published schedule and shown in full on its page — most are banded by property size or unit count, so the headline is a starting point rather than the price. A fee is never a penalty: letting unlicensed where a scheme applies risks far more than the difference between the two figures above.

Councils with a scheme

Birmingham
Coventry
Sandwell
Walsall

The rest of West Midlands (met county)

No discretionary scheme is established for these councils. That means either the council has confirmed it operates none, or we have not established a position — each page says which. It never means a licence is definitely not needed: mandatory HMO licensing still applies, and a council can designate at any time.

Dudley · Solihull · Wolverhampton

Free compliance audit →Five questions, no account. Tells you which duties apply to your property.Check your tenancy agreement →Clauses that stopped being lawful on 1 May 2026 are still in circulation.

Information tool, not legal advice. Confirm the position with the council before letting.

Landlord HQ uses AI to analyse legislation and tenancy agreements. While we work hard to ensure accuracy, AI can make mistakes. Always verify compliance requirements with a qualified solicitor. Landlord HQ is an information tool, not legal advice.

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