Landlord licence Birmingham: what you need, where, and what it costs

Do you need a landlord licence in Birmingham? Yes, if your property is in one of the 25 wards covered by Birmingham's selective licensing scheme, or if it's shared by 3 or more people from 2 or more households anywhere in the city. This page sets out every scheme Birmingham City Council currently runs, the fees as published, and how Birmingham's rented housing compares with the rest of England and Wales, using Census 2021 figures. We last re-checked the council's pages on 21 October 2026.

Published 12 October 2026 · Updated 21 October 2026

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Birmingham landlord licensing at a glance

Scheme	In force?	Where it applies	Dates
Selective licensing	Yes	25 of Birmingham's 69 wards	5 June 2023 to 4 June 2028
Additional HMO licensing	Yes	Citywide, HMOs with 3+ people in 2+ households	From 5 June 2023
Mandatory HMO licensing	Yes	All of England	Ongoing

Sources: Birmingham City Council pages listed under Sources, checked 21 October 2026.

How big is the private rented sector in Birmingham?

At the 2021 Census, 95,719 of Birmingham's 423,455 households rented privately. That's 22.6% of households, against 20.3% across England and Wales as a whole. By number of privately renting households, Birmingham ranked 1 of the 331 local authorities in England and Wales; by share it ranked 69. For comparison, 223,016 households (52.7%) owned their home and 99,499 (23.5%) rented socially.

Birmingham has more privately renting households than any other local authority in England and Wales, which is why its scheme is one of the largest selective licensing schemes in the country. Even so, its private rented share sits close to the national average, because the city is so large; the licensing designation targets the wards where the council found the strongest evidence of poor conditions rather than the whole city.

Birmingham selective licensing: the 25 wards

Birmingham City Council's selective licensing scheme started on 5 June 2023 and covers 25 of the city's 69 wards. The council's announcement of government approval confirms the scheme runs for five years, so it is due to end on 4 June 2028. In those wards, almost every privately rented home let to a single household, a single person or two sharers needs a licence, not just shared houses. The council publishes a ward map and postcode checker on its selective licensing pages; use it rather than relying on a ward name, because ward boundaries don't always match what people call their area. We found no renewal consultation on the council's pages when we checked.

Birmingham additional HMO licensing

Since 5 June 2023, additional HMO licensing has applied across the whole city to HMOs with 3 or more people forming 2 or more households. That means a three-bed house let to three unrelated sharers needs a licence in Birmingham even if it's outside the 25 selective wards. Larger HMOs (5 or more people) fall under mandatory HMO licensing instead.

Birmingham landlord licence fees

As published by the council: a selective licence is £700 (£375 with the application plus £325 before grant), with no multi-property discount. An additional HMO licence is £755 per licence.

Do I need a landlord licence in Birmingham? A quick check

Count the people and households living in the property. A household is a single person, or members of the same family living together, including couples.
If 5 or more people from 2 or more households share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, you need a mandatory HMO licence wherever you are in England.
If 3 or 4 people from 2 or more households share facilities anywhere in Birmingham, you need an additional HMO licence.
If it's let to one household, one person or two sharers and sits in one of the 25 designated wards, you need a selective licence. Check the postcode on the council's map.
If none of these apply, you don't need a property licence, but every other landlord duty (gas safety, electrical safety, EPC, deposit protection, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms) still does.

If you skip a Birmingham licence

With 25 wards under selective licensing and every small HMO in the city covered too, Birmingham is a place where an unlicensed let is easy to end up with by accident, for example after buying a tenanted flat in a designated ward. GOV.UK is blunt about the HMO side: renting out an unlicensed HMO can bring an unlimited fine. Councils can also take enforcement action over unlicensed selective-licensing homes, and tenants may be able to recover rent through a rent repayment order. If you've just realised your property is in one of the 25 wards, apply straight away; the council treats you as having applied only once a valid application is in.

Meeting Birmingham licence conditions

Whichever Birmingham licence you hold, it lasts no more than 5 years under GOV.UK's rules, and won't outlast the June 2028 end of the selective designation. GOV.UK's standard HMO conditions include sending the council an updated gas safety certificate every year, installing and maintaining smoke alarms, and providing electrical safety certificates when asked, and Birmingham City Council can add its own conditions. For a citywide additional HMO licence, that annual gas certificate is the condition most often forgotten.

Keeping Birmingham licence paperwork in order with Gaffy

With licences covering so much of the city, Birmingham landlords end up holding a stack of dated paperwork. Gaffy keeps each property's gas safety certificate, EICR and EPC in its own vault with the expiry dates, and flags anything expiring soon, so the yearly gas certificate your licence asks for is never a surprise. Tenants report repairs through a browser link with photos, which gives you a dated repair record if an inspector asks. It costs £12 a month for up to 5 properties, plus £4 a month for each extra property, with the first month free, and we can set your properties up for you. We don't apply for licences on your behalf.

FAQ

Which wards need a selective licence in Birmingham?

25 of the city's 69 wards. Birmingham City Council publishes the list and a postcode checker on its selective licensing pages.

How much is a selective licence in Birmingham?

£700 per property (£375 plus £325), as published by the council, with no multi-property discount.

When does Birmingham's selective licensing scheme end?

It started on 5 June 2023 for five years, so it is due to end on 4 June 2028.

Do small HMOs need a licence in Birmingham?

Yes. Additional HMO licensing covers HMOs with 3 or more people from 2 or more households across the whole city.

How many people rent privately in Birmingham?

At the 2021 Census, 95,719 households in Birmingham rented privately, 22.6% of all households (ONS, Census 2021 table TS054).

Is this legal advice?

No. It's general information drawn from Birmingham City Council's published pages, checked 21 October 2026. Schemes and fees in Birmingham can change, so confirm with the council before you let or apply.

Other landlord rules

Sources

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