Additional HMO licensing in Rhondda Cynon Taf
Yes. Rhondda Cynon Taf 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 Rhondda Cynon Taf?
Yes. Rhondda Cynon Taf 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 Rhondda Cynon Taf does the scheme cover?
Borough-wide, all electoral wards. RCT Additional Licensing (HMO) Scheme, confirmed 21 December 2023. Confirm a specific address against the council's own designation map before applying.
When does Rhondda Cynon Taf's scheme end?
The designation runs until 31 March 2029, unless the council revokes it earlier under section 84 of the Housing Act 2004.
Rhondda Cynon Taf publishes this much: Same per-unit schedule as mandatory. Borough-wide across all electoral wards. Designation confirmed 21 December 2023.
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.
What the designation says
Rhondda Cynon Taf operates a borough-wide additional licensing scheme. The Additional Licensing (Houses in Multiple Occupation) Scheme 2024 came into effect on 1 April 2024 and lasts five years, to 31 March 2029, replacing the 2019 designation. From 1 April 2024 all houses in multiple occupation in the borough require a licence under it, so the scheme reaches well below the mandatory threshold: large HMOs of three storeys or more with five or more tenants in two or more households continue to be regulated under mandatory licensing, and everything else falls to the additional scheme. Some form of additional licensing has run in the county borough since 2006, introduced to secure satisfactory management and physical standards where landlords were not acting on persistent anti-social behaviour; the council reports the scheme has removed 796 category 1 and 2 hazards from 346 properties. Licences are normally granted for up to five years, and licences issued under the previous scheme were carried over rather than cancelled. Applications are online only. Separately from all of this, every landlord and agent in Wales must be registered and licensed with Rent Smart Wales under the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, which is a national requirement and not a discretionary local scheme.
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 Rhondda Cynon Taf before letting.