Additional HMO licensing · Walsall Council
Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2022 (four council wards: Paddock, Palfrey, Pleck and St Matthew's; council page name: Scheme One)
- Status
- In force
- Runs
- 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2027
- Designated
- 20 October 2021
- Fee
- £1,170 per HMO, or £990 if you're accredited with the NRLA, the Midland Landlord Accreditation Scheme or another recognised national or regional scheme. You pay £880 when you apply (£700 if accredited) and £290 before the licence is issued. Accredited landlords whose accreditation lapses during the licence pay £100 more. Renewing a licence before it runs out costs £820 (£655 if accredited). These are the latest fees the council has published, for 2025/26.
- Applies to
- HMOs in Palfrey, Paddock, Pleck and St Matthew's wards, as the wards stood when the scheme was made in 2021, that don't need a mandatory licence: usually homes let to three or four people from two or more households who share facilities, whatever the number of storeys. Also converted blocks of flats (section 257 HMOs) where the whole building is owned by one person and the flats are mainly or wholly rented out. HMOs with five or more people need a mandatory licence instead. Exempt: buildings the law says aren't HMOs, such as those run by the council or a housing association, and HMOs under a management order or with a temporary exemption. Check the council's map or street list for your street.
Our records last verified 18 October 2026 · council designation page · licence conditions
Area covered
The designation covers these wards, as they were drawn when the scheme was made:
- Paddock
- Palfrey
- Pleck
- St Matthew's
Walsall 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
14 days free · no card needed