West Midlands · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in Rugby
✓ Hand-verified 19 Aug 2026Beyond mandatory HMO licensing, Rugby does not currently operate a selective or additional licensing scheme. Here's the current position.
Required for any HMO let to 5 or more people forming 2+ households who share facilities.
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued.
- Renewal £1,177
Rugby — council's own published fees, read, read 19 Aug 2026
Evidenced negative by enumeration (first-party research 19 Aug 2026): the council HMO licence page describes only the mandatory 5+ threshold and names no s.80 selective designation. Rugby's HMO Article 4 Direction was made 21 February 2024, confirmed 25 September 2024 and came into force 23 February 2025, limited to five central wards: "Benn; Coton and Boughton; Eastlands; New Bilton; Newbold and Brownsover". That is a planning control, not a licensing designation, and it is not borough-wide. Warwick District Council operates its own s.56 additional HMO scheme (made 9 October 2023, in force 18 January 2024, ceasing 17 January 2029). That belongs to Warwick District, NOT Rugby. Distinct also from North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Stratford-on-Avon and Warwickshire County Council.
Evidenced negative by enumeration (first-party research 19 Aug 2026): the council HMO pages name no s.56 additional designation; a full-council report on the domain concerns mandatory-scheme resourcing only. Fee is two-part, described by the council as "a non-refundable charge covering the administration of your application and, should your application be successful, a charge for the regulation of your licence", with a "£900 surcharge to licence applications from landlords found to be running an unlicensed HMO". Renewal quoted verbatim: "We charge £1,177 for the renewal of an HMO licence." The new-application figure was not captured first-party in this pass. this row previously held a flat £1,141, which is not a figure Rugby publishes.
Common questions
Does Rugby have a selective licensing scheme?
No. Rugby 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 Rugby have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
No. Rugby does not currently operate an additional HMO licensing scheme. Mandatory HMO licensing still applies wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.
Do I need an HMO licence in Rugby?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Rugby, 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
All property licensing in West Midlands →
Source: Rugby licensing page →
Every landlord in Rugby also needs
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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