Additional HMO licensing · Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2023 (council page name: Additional licensing for HMOs)
- Status
- In force
- Runs
- 5 June 2023 to 4 June 2028
- Designated
- 17 January 2023
- Fee
- £755 per HMO. If you let more than one, each needs its own licence. A section 257 licence for a converted block of flats also costs £755.
- Applies to
- HMOs anywhere in Birmingham that don't need a mandatory licence, usually homes let to three or four people from two or more households who share a kitchen or bathroom. Also blocks converted into flats that don't meet the 1991 Building Regulations where less than two thirds of the flats are owner-occupied, except a building of just two flats with no business premises above or below, or one of no more than two storeys whose flats share no common parts. Exempt: HMOs under a management order or with a temporary exemption, and buildings the law says aren't HMOs.
Our records last verified 18 October 2026 · council designation page · licence conditions
Area covered
The scheme covers the whole of Birmingham City Council. Every privately rented property in the borough that meets the scheme’s criteria needs a licence, wherever it is.
Birmingham City Council also runs its own address-level lookup: check whether a specific address falls inside the scheme.
What this means for landlords
Additional HMO licensing extends licensing to shared homes below the national 5-person mandatory threshold. If your property in this area houses unrelated sharers, check the scheme’s occupancy criteria. Running a licensable HMO without a licence carries the same penalties as any licensing offence: a civil penalty of up to £40,000 and a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent.
Is your property inside the scheme area?
This checker reflects HouseFile’s records of council licensing designations, not the councils’ live registers. Our records indicate the position at the verification date shown on each result. Schemes are designated, renewed and revoked throughout the year, and postcode-level lookups are approximate near scheme boundaries. Always confirm with the council before letting or buying a property, using the source link on each card. This is general information, not legal advice.
If you hold a licence here, HouseFile can track its renewal date
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