Birmingham Selective Licensing: What Every Private Landlord Needs to Know
Birmingham City Council introduced selective licensing on 5 June 2023, and it runs until 4 June 2028. If you rent out a non-exempt, non-HMO property in one of the 25 designated wards, you need a selective licence — even if it is a single-family let with one household.
This is separate from the city-wide HMO licensing schemes. Selective licensing applies to non-HMO private rentals in the 25 designated wards, subject to statutory exemptions.
What Selective Licensing Actually Requires
A selective licence is a property-level licence under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004. It applies to non-exempt non-HMO private rentals: single-family homes, couples, or two unrelated tenants sharing a property.
The licence costs £700 per property, split into two stages — £375 at application and £325 when the council issues its draft decision. There are no portfolio discounts. Ten properties means ten separate applications and £7,000 in total fees.
The council assesses whether the proposed licence holder is a "fit and proper person" and attaches standard conditions covering fire safety, gas certificates, electrical safety, waste management, and anti-social behaviour procedures.
Why Birmingham Introduced It
The 25 wards selected for the scheme share characteristics the council identified as problem indicators: private rented sector density above 20%, deprivation, and higher levels of anti-social behaviour. The scheme gives the council a direct enforcement route against landlords who let substandard properties without accountability.
Before selective licensing, a single-family let in one of these wards had no proactive regulatory oversight unless a tenant complained. The licensing regime flips that — operating without a licence is itself an offence, carrying civil penalties up to £40,000 per offence since the Renters' Rights Act 2025 amendments took effect in May 2026.
What Happens After June 2028
The current designation expires on 4 June 2028. Under the 2024 General Approval, Birmingham City Council can now introduce expanded or city-wide selective licensing schemes without seeking central government confirmation, provided it consults for at least 10 weeks.
Whether the council renews, expands, or drops the scheme depends on its evidence review. Either way, landlords holding current licences should plan for renewal applications at least two months before expiry.
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How to Get Your Licence Sorted
The application runs through Birmingham City Council's Property Licensing Portal — paper applications are not accepted. You will need a valid gas safety certificate, EICR, EPC, and metric floor plans before starting the online form.
Our Birmingham Landlord Licensing Guide walks through the whole process step by step — from checking whether your ward is designated, through the documents you need, to what happens after the licence is granted. It includes the compliance checklist you can print and work through offline, so you are not scrambling during the portal session.
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Download the Birmingham Landlord Licensing Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.