How Long Does a Nottingham Selective Licence Last?

Maximum Term: Five Years, but Often Less

The Housing Act 2004 sets the maximum duration of any property licence — selective or HMO — at five years. In practice, though, many Nottingham licences are granted for shorter periods.

Nottingham City Council issues selective licences with an end date that cannot extend beyond the scheme's own expiry. Selective Licensing Scheme 2 runs from 1 December 2023 to 30 November 2028. If you applied in 2024 and the council granted the maximum term, your licence runs until 30 November 2028 — roughly four years, not five.

If you apply later in the scheme's life (say, in 2026), the licence can only run until the scheme expires. A licence granted in October 2026 could last a maximum of about two years, not five. The council does not extend licences beyond the scheme boundary.

Other reasons a licence might be granted for a shorter term:

• Missing planning consent — HMO properties that lack the required C4 or Sui Generis planning permission under Nottingham's citywide Article 4 Direction are typically granted a restricted 12-month licence to allow time for a planning application
• Management concerns — if the council identifies minor issues during the application (incomplete documentation, previous enforcement contact), it may grant a shorter licence with additional monitoring conditions
• Alignment with the scheme cycle — even without specific concerns, the council sometimes aligns licence terms to expire at the same time as the overarching scheme for administrative efficiency

When Scheme 2 Expires

Selective Licensing Scheme 2 expires on 30 November 2028. Every selective licence granted under this scheme will lapse on or before that date — there is no automatic rollover.

The Additional HMO Licensing Scheme 3 expires on 31 December 2028, one month later. Mandatory HMO licensing is a permanent national requirement with no scheme expiry.

What happens when a scheme ends depends on whether the council designates a new scheme:

• If the council renews (designates a successor selective licensing scheme), landlords with properties in the new designated area must apply for a fresh licence. Previous compliance does not carry over — you start from scratch with a new application, new fees, and new documentation.
• If the council does not renew, selective licensing ceases in the affected wards and no licence is needed for single-household or two-person lets in those areas. HMO licensing continues under the mandatory national scheme regardless.

The 2024 General Approval removed the Secretary of State's 20% confirmation threshold, so councils can now designate schemes of any size without central government sign-off. This removes one approval hurdle, but it does not establish whether Nottingham will renew; any successor scheme still requires a council designation.

Your Licence Does Not Auto-Renew

Nottingham City Council does not issue renewal reminders, and a licence does not roll over when it expires. If you allow your licence to lapse — whether because the scheme expires or because the individual licence term ends — the property becomes unlicensed the day after expiry.

The consequences of operating without a valid licence are the same whether the lapse was intentional or accidental: civil penalties of up to £40,000, potential prosecution (unlimited fine on conviction), and tenant rent repayment orders covering up to 24 months of rent paid during the unlicensed period.

For landlords whose licences expire before the scheme ends, renewal applications should be submitted before the current licence's expiry date to maintain continuous protection. The council processes applications at standard renewal fees when filed on time. A lapsed licence means starting over with a full new application.

Tracking Your Dates

Two dates matter: when your individual licence expires and when the overarching scheme expires. Both are on the licence document the council issues after granting the application.

For selective licences granted under Scheme 2, the scheme date is the hard ceiling: 30 November 2028. For HMO licences, the additional scheme ceiling is 31 December 2028, though mandatory HMO licences can run a full five years regardless.

The Nottingham landlord licensing guide includes a licence expiry and renewal tracker designed for exactly this — logging both dates, setting a renewal application window, and tracking whether a successor scheme has been designated so you do not get caught out.

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