West Midlands · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in South Staffordshire
✓ Hand-verified 19 Aug 2026Beyond mandatory HMO licensing, South Staffordshire 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.
One payment.
South Staffordshire — council's own published fees, read, read 19 Aug 2026
Evidenced negative by enumeration (first-party research 19 Aug 2026): the council HMO page states "HMO's comprising two or more storey's, occupied by five or more people, in two or more households, must obtain a licence. This is a mandatory requirement of the government." No s.80 selective designation is named. Note the page retains a two-storey qualifier that was removed from the national mandatory test in October 2018, so the wording is dated even though the position on discretionary schemes is clear. Note also that no licensing URL was previously held for this council. government confirmed on 16 July 2026 that Staffordshire moves to two unitary authorities with a vesting day of 1 April 2028; South Staffordshire falls in the new South Staffordshire unitary.
Evidenced negative by enumeration (first-party research 19 Aug 2026): the council HMO page presents mandatory licensing as the only licensing operating and names no s.56 additional designation. Fee quoted verbatim: "The current fee for a licence is £704.00", described as covering "the application process, inspection and licensing the property". Single flat figure, no fee-year stated and no licence duration given on the page. Distinct from Stafford Borough, Staffordshire Moorlands, East Staffordshire, Cannock Chase, Lichfield, Tamworth, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire County Council.
Common questions
Does South Staffordshire have a selective licensing scheme?
No. South Staffordshire 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 South Staffordshire have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
No. South Staffordshire 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 South Staffordshire?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including South Staffordshire, 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: South Staffordshire licensing page →
Every landlord in South Staffordshire 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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