UK HMO licensing schemes mapped: 30 councils, fees and thresholds

**Mandatory** licensing covers any HMO of five or more occupiers in two or more households. It applies across England, Wales and Northern Ireland under the Housing Act 2004. Scotland uses a different framework where every HMO of three or more unrelated occupiers needs a council HMO licence.

**Additional** licensing is a council-designated scheme covering smaller HMOs — typically three or more occupiers in two or more households. The council must consult and publish a designation. Schemes run for up to five years and can be renewed.

**Selective** licensing covers every privately rented property in a designated area regardless of HMO status. It exists primarily to tackle anti-social behaviour and poor housing conditions. The Newham, Liverpool and Nottingham city-wide schemes are the largest examples.

Most inner and east London boroughs operate borough-wide Additional Licensing on top of the Mandatory scheme. Newham was the first to introduce borough-wide Selective Licensing. Waltham Forest, Enfield, Haringey and Croydon now have similar broad schemes; Hammersmith and Fulham, Camden and Islington focus on Additional rather than Selective. Outer boroughs (Bromley, Sutton, Richmond) tend to stick to the Mandatory scheme only.

Typical mandatory licence fee band across London: £1,000 to £1,500. See our [London borough HMO pages](/hmo-licensing) for the council-specific position.

**Liverpool, Nottingham and Salford** operate near-city-wide Selective Licensing covering most of the private rented stock. Letting outside a licence in these cities is a criminal offence with no de facto exception.

**Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol and Brighton** focus Additional Licensing on student-belt neighbourhoods (Headingley, Selly Oak, Crookes, Cathays, Hanover) with narrower Selective designations where social conditions justify it.

Typical mandatory licence fee band outside London: £850 to £1,400.

**Wales** requires every landlord to register and license under Rent Smart Wales — a separate national framework on top of any council HMO scheme. Cardiff and Swansea operate Additional Licensing schemes in the student belts.

**Scotland** has no Mandatory/Additional/Selective split. Every HMO of three or more unrelated occupiers needs a council HMO licence. Landlord Registration is required for every let property regardless of HMO status.

**Northern Ireland** runs a single HMO Registration Scheme managed centrally. Mandatory thresholds match the rest of the UK.

If you buy a four-bed Victorian terrace and let it to three students in three households in Headingley (Leeds), Cathays (Cardiff) or Sparkbrook (Birmingham), you will probably need an Additional licence even though you fall below the Mandatory threshold.

If you let a single-family home in Liverpool city centre, you will probably need a Selective licence even though the property is not an HMO at all.

Always check the council's official HMO page before letting. Our [council pages](/hmo-licensing) link directly to each council's licensing page.

Letting a property that requires a licence without one is a criminal offence. Penalties include unlimited fines on conviction, civil penalty notices of up to £30,000, Rent Repayment Orders (a tenant can reclaim up to twelve months of rent), banning orders, and inclusion on the council's rogue landlord database.

The Renters' Rights Bill (in progress through Parliament) is expected to expand Rent Repayment Order availability and the database visibility.