Do I Need a Landlord Licence in Stoke-on-Trent?

You just heard that Stoke-on-Trent has property licensing rules and now you're wondering whether your rental actually needs one. The answer depends on who lives there, how many of them are unrelated, and which licensing schemes the council currently runs.

The Only Active Scheme Right Now: Mandatory HMO Licensing

Stoke-on-Trent City Council runs one licensing scheme that is enforceable law today — mandatory HMO licensing under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004. Your property needs a mandatory HMO licence if it ticks every box on this list:

• Five or more people live there
• They form two or more separate households (meaning not all from one family)
• They share basic facilities, such as a kitchen or bathroom, or the accommodation lacks one or more of those facilities
• The property is their main home

The old three-storey rule was scrapped in October 2018, so it does not matter whether the house is a bungalow, a two-storey terrace or a four-storey conversion.

What Counts as a "Household"?

Under Section 258 of the Housing Act 2004, a household is a family unit. A married couple, a cohabiting couple, or parent-and-child combinations are one household. Two friends who share a flat are two separate households.

A few common scenarios:

• Four unrelated students in a shared house: four occupants, four households — but the headcount is below five, so no mandatory HMO licence is needed (though it is still legally an HMO).
• A couple plus three unrelated tenants: five people, four households, sharing a kitchen — mandatory licence required.
• A resident landlord with two lodgers: the Schedule 14 exemption means the property is not classified as an HMO at all, provided the lodger count stays at two or fewer.

What About Selective Licensing?

Stoke-on-Trent previously ran a selective licensing scheme covering parts of Fenton and Cobridge, but it expired on 4 August 2019 and has not been renewed. No selective licensing scheme is currently in force anywhere in the city. If you let a single-family home to one household, you do not need any property licence from the council right now.

Outdated web pages and forum threads still reference the old Fenton and Cobridge scheme. Ignore them — the obligation ended in 2019.

The Proposed Additional HMO Licensing Scheme

In August 2026, the council's Cabinet approved a proposal for a city-wide additional HMO licensing scheme, subject to consultation and detailed design. It would require a licence for smaller shared houses (three or four unrelated occupants forming two or more households), but it is not active law. If adopted, the scheme must follow the statutory consultation and notice requirements before taking effect.

Until the council formally designates that scheme, smaller HMOs in Stoke-on-Trent do not need a licence.

Quick Decision Flowchart

1. Is the property let to tenants or does a resident landlord take in lodgers? If no → no landlord licence; if yes, count all occupants, including a resident landlord.
2. Do five or more people live there? If no → no mandatory HMO licence today (watch for the additional licensing proposal if you have three or four unrelated sharers).
3. Do the occupants form two or more separate households? If no → no licence needed.
4. Do they share basic facilities, such as a kitchen or bathroom, or does the accommodation lack one or more of those facilities? If yes → you need a mandatory HMO licence.

What Happens If You Should Have a Licence But Do Not?

Operating without a required licence is a criminal offence under Section 72(1) of the Housing Act 2004. Stoke-on-Trent can prosecute (unlimited fine) or issue a civil financial penalty of up to £40,000 under Section 249A. Tenants can also apply for a rent repayment order to recover up to 24 months of rent.

Next Steps

If the flowchart points to a mandatory HMO licence, the application goes through the council's online portal with a two-stage fee starting at £895 for properties with up to six bedrooms. The Stoke-on-Trent Landlord Licensing Guide walks through every step — the occupancy test, the documents you need, the fee structure, room size rules, and fire safety standards — so you know exactly what to prepare before you start the application.

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