Birmingham: selective licensing and additional HMO licensing for landlords

Birmingham council runs selective licensing and additional HMO licensing schemes on top of the national mandatory HMO licence. Not every scheme covers the whole council area, so check the exact address. We checked the details below against the council's website on 2 October 2026.

Additional HMO licensing

Scheme	Birmingham City Council Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2023
Area covered	All wards within the city of Birmingham
Dates	In force since 5 June 2023. Runs until 4 June 2028.
Who needs a licence	Smaller HMOs that the mandatory rule misses, usually 3 or 4 people from 2 or more households sharing facilities, and some converted blocks of flats.
Note	Covers HMOs with 3 or 4 occupants from 2 or more households, and some converted blocks of flats (section 257 HMOs).

Birmingham council: official additional HMO licensing page

Selective licensing

Scheme	Selective licensing scheme
Area covered	25 of Birmingham's 69 wards: 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, Sparkhill, Stockland Green, Tyseley & Hay Mills, Ward End, Yardley West & Stechford
Dates	In force since 5 June 2023. Runs until 4 June 2028.
Who needs a licence	Almost every privately rented home in the designated area, HMO or not.
Note	The council has an address checker on its 'Do I need a selective licence?' page.

Birmingham council: official selective licensing page

Mandatory HMO licensing applies too

Everywhere in England, a property rented to 5 or more people who form more than 1 household, where some or all share a toilet, bathroom or kitchen and at least 1 tenant pays rent, needs a mandatory HMO licence. A licence lasts up to 5 years, and each property needs its own. HMO licensing explained

How to check your address

Ward- or street-level schemes need the exact address. Use the council's map or address checker on its official page, because ward boundaries and postcodes don't line up.
Exemptions exist, for example homes let by housing associations and some student accommodation. The council's page lists them.
Not sure which council the property is in? Look it up by postcode in the property licensing checker.

Your PRS database deadline in West Midlands

Birmingham is in the West Midlands region. The "Register your rental property" service opens there on 15 December 2026, and every let property must be registered by 14 March 2027. Registration asks for each property's licence number, so have it ready. West Midlands registration deadline and checklist

If you let without the right licence

Letting an unlicensed HMO can mean an unlimited fine on prosecution or a council civil penalty instead, and tenants or the council can apply for a Rent Repayment Order. Councils' own pages describe the same consequences for selective licensing.

Other West Midlands councils with licensing schemes

Coventry · East Staffordshire · Sandwell · Walsall · Warwick · Worcester

Something out of date?

Councils change schemes, and the details here can lag behind. If you spot a change, email [email protected] with a link to the council's page.

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Sources: Birmingham council licensing page and the scheme pages linked above (checked 2 October 2026); GOV.UK House in multiple occupation licence; MHCLG, Get ready: Register your rental property. Not legal advice.

General information, not legal or tax advice. Checked against GOV.UK on 2 October 2026. Rules change — always confirm on GOV.UK.