Nottingham Selective Licensing Paper Application Cost

The Paper Surcharge

Nottingham City Council charges an additional fee for selective licence applications submitted on paper rather than through the online portal. Its fee table lists £74 for an application downloaded and printed from the website. For a council-printed copy, it lists a £39 printed-paper fee and £113 total for posting and processing.

The £113 total for the posted-and-processed route comprises the £39 printed-paper fee and £74 processing charge. If you download and print the form yourself, the listed paper fee is £74.

For a standard non-accredited selective licence, the total fee is £950 online, £1,024 if you download and print the form, or £1,063 for a council-printed and processed application. For accredited landlords paying the discounted rate, the corresponding totals are £759 online, £833 for a downloaded form, or £872 for a council-printed and processed application. The paper fee applies regardless of your accreditation status.

Who Actually Needs a Paper Form

Very few landlords need to apply on paper. The council's online licensing portal handles everything — the application form, document uploads (floor plans, safety certificates, proof of ownership), the fit and proper person declaration, and payment of the Part A fee. The portal is accessible through Nottingham City Council's MyAccount system.

Paper applications exist as an accessibility fallback. The council provides them for landlords who genuinely cannot use the online system. But the portal is a standard web form, not specialist software. If you can do online banking or file a self-assessment tax return, you can complete the licensing portal.

The practical drawback of paper applications goes beyond the fee. Statutory temporary protection depends on the application being duly made, not on whether it was submitted online or on paper: the form must be complete, required documents attached, and the Part A fee cleared. A reference number alone, or a paper form merely being posted, does not meet that threshold. Check for the council's receipt and validation so you know the application is complete.

The Maths on Avoiding the Surcharge

The paper fee does not change the licence, conditions, or term. The amount depends on how you obtain the form: the listed charge is £74 if you download and print it, or £113 for a council-printed and processed application. Over a five-year scheme cycle, online submission avoids either paper fee.

For context: DASH landlord accreditation training costs £65 and unlocks a Part B discount worth £191 on a selective licence. Compared with a non-accredited landlord using the council-printed and processed route (£1,063), an accredited landlord who applies online and pays the £65 training fee spends £824 in total, a difference of £239. The saving is £200 if the non-accredited landlord downloads and prints the form instead, because that paper fee is £74.

What About HMO Licence Applications?

The paper surcharge as published applies specifically to selective licensing. HMO licence applications (both additional and mandatory) are expected to be submitted online through the same council portal. The council's published fee schedules for HMO licensing do not list a separate paper surcharge — in practice, HMO applications are more complex (more documentation, more detailed floor plans, higher fees) and are effectively online-only for most landlords.

If you are applying for a mandatory or additional HMO licence and have difficulty using the portal, contact the council's Housing Licensing team directly. They can advise on accessibility arrangements without the paper surcharge structure.

The Nottingham landlord licensing guide walks through the online portal step by step, from creating a MyAccount login to uploading documents and paying the Part A fee, so the paper form is never necessary.

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