How to Apply for a Selective Licence in Nottingham

Before You Start: Confirm You Need a Selective Licence

Not every rented property in Nottingham needs a selective licence. Selective Licensing Scheme 2 applies to non-HMO properties — single-household lets, individual tenants, or two unrelated sharers — within designated wards only. If your property houses three or more occupants from two or more households sharing facilities, you likely need an HMO licence instead (Additional or Mandatory), which is a different application.

Use the council's MyProperty address checker to confirm your property falls within a designated Selective Licensing area. If it does, and the property is let to a single household or one or two people, a selective licence is what you need.

Gather Your Documents First

The most common cause of delays and rejections is missing or non-compliant documentation. Assemble these before logging into the portal:

• Proof of identity and ownership — passport or driving licence, plus Land Registry title register extracts showing you own the property
• Gas Safety Record — current certificate from a Gas Safe registered engineer (renewed annually)
• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — satisfactory report from a qualified electrician, valid for five years
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) — minimum E rating, or a valid exemption registered on the PRS Exemptions Register
• Scaled floor plans — showing room dimensions in square metres, ceiling heights, positions of amenities (sinks, cookers, toilets), and fire detection equipment
• Interested party notifications — written confirmation that mortgage lenders, freeholders, joint owners, or managing agents have been served notice of your application
• Fit and proper person declaration — a self-declaration covering unspent criminal convictions for fraud, violence, sexual offences, housing law breaches, or unlawful discrimination

If any certificate is expired or the floor plans don't include dimensions, the application won't be accepted as valid.

The Online Application Process

All Nottingham property licence applications go through the council's dedicated licensing portal, accessible via Nottingham City Council MyAccount. Here's the sequence:

1. Create or log into your MyAccount. If you don't have one, you'll need to register first.

2. Identify the parties. The form asks for three distinct roles:

• Applicant — the person completing and submitting the form
• Proposed licence holder — the person or company with operational control (typically the property owner)
• Proposed manager — the person or agent handling day-to-day management

If the proposed licence holder isn't the applicant, you'll need to upload a separate signed Licence Holder Declaration.

3. Complete every section. Partial applications don't count. Under Sections 63(3) and 87(3) of the Housing Act 2004, an application is only "duly made" when all required sections are completed, all mandatory documents are attached, and the Part A fee has cleared.

4. Upload your documents. Attach all the certificates and plans listed above.

5. Pay the Part A fee (£290). This is due immediately upon submission. The Part B fee comes later.

Why "Duly Made" Matters

A submitted application only protects you from prosecution if it meets the "duly made" threshold. Saving a draft, submitting an incomplete form, or making a fee payment that doesn't clear are not enough. While your property sits without a duly made application on file, you're exposed to civil penalties of up to £40,000 and rent repayment orders.

Once the portal validates your submission and the Part A payment clears, you'll receive a formal receipt and application reference number. This establishes statutory temporary protection under the Housing Act 2004 while the council processes your file.

Paper Applications: More Expensive and Slower

Paper application forms are available for selective licensing, but they carry a surcharge of £113 on top of the standard fees. The online route is both cheaper and faster. Unless you have a specific reason to apply on paper, the portal is the way to go.

What Happens After You Apply

The council reviews your application, runs background checks on the proposed licence holder (the fit and proper person assessment), and may schedule a property inspection. Eventually, they issue a Notice of Intention to Grant — at which point you'll be asked to pay the Part B fee (£469–£1,028 depending on your accreditation status). The licence is granted once Part B is paid.

The whole process can take weeks to months. During the period between your duly made application and the licence grant, you have statutory temporary protection — but only if the application was genuinely complete.

For a full walkthrough including a document pre-submission audit checklist and the Part A/Part B payment timeline, see our Nottingham landlord licensing guide.

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