Do I Need a Landlord Licence in Birmingham?

Whether a Birmingham rental property needs a licence depends on its ward and occupancy. Non-exempt non-HMO private rentals in the 25 designated wards need selective licences, while the city-wide HMO schemes apply when their occupancy criteria are met, subject to statutory exemptions.

First check whether the property meets a licensing scheme's criteria; if it does, identify which licence applies.

Three Schemes, One City

Birmingham runs three property licensing regimes simultaneously:

Mandatory HMO licensing applies across the whole city (and the whole of England). Unless an exemption applies, a property occupied by five or more people forming two or more separate households who share amenities like a kitchen or bathroom needs a mandatory HMO licence. Fees start at approximately £1,100.

Additional HMO licensing also applies city-wide. Unless an exemption applies, a property occupied by three or four people forming two or more households sharing amenities needs an additional HMO licence. The fee is £755. This scheme also covers Section 257 converted buildings.

Selective licensing applies to 25 designated wards. If your non-exempt property is in one of those wards and does not qualify as an HMO, it needs a selective licence. This covers single-family lets, couples, and two unrelated tenants. The fee is £700.

The Hierarchy

For a single rental unit, the schemes stack in a clear priority order:

1. If it meets the mandatory HMO threshold (5+ people, 2+ households) and no exemption applies — mandatory HMO licence, regardless of location
2. If it meets the additional HMO threshold (3–4 people, 2+ households) and no exemption applies — additional HMO licence, city-wide, displacing selective even in a designated ward
3. If it is a non-exempt non-HMO private rental in one of the 25 designated wards — selective licence
4. If it is a non-HMO private rental in a non-designated ward — no licence required under the current scheme

A Section 257 converted building can also need a building-level licence, while individual flats may need separate licences based on their occupancy and location.

When No Licence Is Needed

Your property does not need any of these licences if:

• It is in a non-designated ward and occupied by fewer than three people (or by one household only)
• It is social housing let by a registered provider or local authority
• It is purpose-built student accommodation managed directly by a qualifying higher-education institution
• It is regulated care accommodation managed by a health authority or NHS trust
• It is owner-occupied with rooms let to no more than two lodgers
• It is a family tenancy granted without commercial rent, or a long lease exceeding 21 years
• It has an active, council-approved Temporary Exemption Notice

These are statutory exemptions under the Housing Act 2004 and the 2006 Exemptions Order.

What About Buy-to-Let Properties?

Buying a property as a buy-to-let investment in Birmingham does not change the licensing rules. The licence requirement is tied to the property's occupancy and location, not to how you financed the purchase or your tax status. A buy-to-let mortgage on a property in Aston with a single-family tenant requires a selective licence. The same property in Sutton Coldfield with the same tenant does not.

How to Check

Verify your property's address against the council's Property Licensing Portal using the UPRN lookup. Then determine the occupancy profile — how many people, how many separate households — to identify which scheme applies.

The Birmingham Landlord Licensing Guide walks through this determination step by step, including a flowchart covering every common scenario from single-family lets to shared student houses and converted flats.

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