Birmingham has 2 discretionary licensing schemes on our record: additional HMO licensing (in force), selective licensing (in force). Mandatory HMO licensing applies everywhere in England to HMOs with 5 or more people in 2 or more households.
Selective: yesAdditional HMO: yesMandatory HMO: alwaysChecked 28 Sep 2026
| Area covered | Whole council area |
|---|---|
| Designation made | 17 Jan 2023 |
| Runs | 5 Jun 2023 to 4 Jun 2028 |
| Fee | £755 per licence |
Council licensing page Designation notice
Note from our check: all wards within the city; HMOs of 3+ persons in 2+ households and s257 (<2/3 owner-occupied) with stated exclusions
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Area covered | Listed wards only (25 wards) |
|---|---|
| Designation made | 1 Mar 2022 |
| Runs | 5 Jun 2023 to 4 Jun 2028 |
| Fee | £700 per licence (max 5 yrs) |
Acocks Green · Alum Rock · Aston · Balsall Heath West · Birchfield · Bordesley Green · Bordesley & Highgate · Bournbrook & Selly Park · Edgbaston · Gravelly Hill · Handsworth · Heartlands · Holyhead · Ladywood · Lozells · North Edgbaston · Small Heath · Soho & Jewellery Quarter · South Yardley · Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East · Sparkhill · Stockland Green · Tyseley & Hay Mills · Ward End · Yardley West & Stechford
Ward or street lists can split a road. Use the council's own address checker or designation map before relying on this list.
Council licensing page Designation notice
Note from our check: 25 of 69 wards per notice para 5 (notice spells Bordsley & Highgate / Bournbook & Selly Park / Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath - normalised to ONS names)
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Date | What | Scheme | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jun 2028 estimated (start + 5 years) in 615 days | scheme end | Selective licensing | council |
| 4 Jun 2028 estimated (start + 5 years) in 615 days | scheme end | Additional HMO licensing | council |
Want a reminder before a deadline? Use the form at the bottom of this page and pick "Email me before my deadlines".
Whatever the local schemes, a licence is required for any house in multiple occupation let to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. This rule is national and has applied since 1 October 2018. Letting without a required licence is a criminal offence under section 72 of the Housing Act 2004. Read do I need an HMO licence? and how to apply.
We did not find an online public register for Birmingham. Every council must keep one (Housing Act 2004, s.232) and make it available for inspection; ask the council's private sector housing team.
Official planning data lists 2 HMO Article 4 areas for Birmingham. Inside these areas, turning a family house (use class C3) into a small HMO (C4) needs planning permission.
Licensing and planning are separate. A licence does not give planning permission, and planning permission does not replace a licence. See Article 4 and HMOs.
Figures below count First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) decisions published on GOV.UK for properties located in Birmingham. They show how tenants and the council use enforcement here. Most civil penalties are paid without appeal, so they never reach the tribunal.
| Rent repayment order decisions | 27 (14 in the last 3 years) |
|---|---|
| Orders made | 23 (92% of decisions with a known outcome) |
| Median award | £8,535 (last 3 years: £3,977) |
| Total awarded | £304,250 |
| Civil penalty appeals | 4 |
| Penalty upheld (in full or reduced) | 75% · confirmed in full 50% |
| Median penalty: council's notice / after tribunal | £12,500 / £5,527 |
| Other Housing Act appeals (licence terms, notices, orders) | 7 |
| Decided | Area | Property | Offence alleged | Outcome | Amount | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Aug 2026 | B29 | House / not stated | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Order made | £22,320 | GOV.UK |
| 20 Apr 2026 | B13 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | Order made | £8,534 | GOV.UK |
| 23 Oct 2025 | B1 | HMO | unlicensed HMO; unlawful eviction / harassment | Order made | £4,493 | GOV.UK |
| 9 Jul 2025 | B16 | Flat | unlicensed (selective licensing); unlawful eviction / harassment | Order made | £6,035 | GOV.UK |
| 28 Jun 2025 | B10 | HMO | unlicensed (selective licensing) | See decision | — | GOV.UK |
| Decided | Area | Offence | Outcome | Council's penalty | After tribunal | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Aug 2026 | B3 | unlicensed (selective licensing) | See decision | £12,500 | — | GOV.UK |
| 13 Jul 2026 | B36 | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Penalty cancelled | £12,500 | £0 | GOV.UK |
| 2 Apr 2026 | B19 | unlicensed (selective licensing); breach of licence conditions | Penalty varied | — | £2,500 | GOV.UK |
| 26 Jun 2023 | B14 | unlicensed HMO; HMO management regulations | See decision | £500 | — | GOV.UK |
Amounts and outcomes are extracted automatically from the decision text and can be wrong; open the decision on GOV.UK for the full reasons. Party names are not shown. Information, not legal advice.
If you have let without a licence you needed, read unlicensed property: what to do, rent repayment orders and civil penalties.
Birmingham is in the West Midlands region of the new Private Rented Sector Database. Registration opens 15 Dec 2026 and the deadline to register is 14 Mar 2027. The published fee is £65 per property per year. Database registration is separate from council licensing: you may need both. See register your rental property.
We can prepare a licence application for you for a fixed fee; the council's own fee is separate. See pricing for what is included and how we make money. You can also run a full address check on the postcode checker.
Yes. in force until 4 Jun 2028 (part of the area). Check the council's map or address checker to confirm your street.
Additional HMO licensing: £755 (per licence); Selective licensing: £700 (per licence (max 5 yrs)). Fees for mandatory HMO licences are set by the council and published on its fees page.
Official planning data lists 2 HMO Article 4 areas for Birmingham. Inside these areas, turning a family house (use class C3) into a small HMO (C4) needs planning permission.
The First-tier Tribunal has published 27 rent repayment order decisions for properties in Birmingham (23 with an order made), median award £8,535, and 4 civil penalty appeals. Most penalties are never appealed, so the true number of fines is higher.
Related: selective licensing in England · additional HMO licensing · HMO licence cost · HMO rules · HMO hub
Last checked 28 Sep 2026. Information, not legal advice. Licensing schemes change often; always confirm with the council before you act.