Additional HMO licensing in Wrexham

What the designation says

Wrexham operates an additional HMO licensing scheme, cited as the Wrexham County Borough Council Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation Scheme 2022. The council's Executive Board approved a new five-year scheme on 21 September 2021 and it began on 1 January 2022, so on a five-year term it runs to the end of 2026. Additional licensing brings houses in multiple occupation into licensing beyond the mandatory scheme. The council holds the full designation, which sets out the precise area and the descriptions of HMO caught, and a landlord should check a specific address against it rather than assume from a Wrexham postcode. Landlords in Wales must also register and be licensed through Rent Smart Wales, which is a separate requirement and does not replace this licence.

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.

Wrexham's own licensing page →