How do you find out whether your area has a selective or additional licensing scheme, and how do you apply?

In England and Wales, selective and additional licensing are local council schemes under the Housing Act 2004, not UK-wide landlord licensing systems. Scotland uses landlord registration instead, and Northern Ireland requires landlord registration plus HMO licensing rather than selective or additional licensing.

What is selective licensing for?

Since 23 December 2024, English councils have not needed the Secretary of State’s approval to designate a selective licensing scheme of any size, because MHCLG says: “With effect from 23 December 2024 a new General Approval came into force and local housing authorities in England are no longer required to obtain confirmation from the Secretary of State before implementing a selective licensing scheme of any size.” Selective licensing is for councils to require private rented homes in a defined area to be licensed where local problems justify it; the Housing Act notes say: “Part 3 of the Act introduces a power for LHAs to introduce selective licensing to deal with particular problems in an area.” Those problems can include anti-social behaviour, because section 80 covers an area “experiencing a significant and persistent problem caused by anti-social behaviour”. The purpose and benefits of selective licensing are therefore not general landlord registration: they are local enforcement, property-condition control and management oversight in a designated rental area.

What is the difference between mandatory HMO, additional and selective licensing?

Mandatory HMO licensing is the national HMO licence regime, additional licensing is a local extension to smaller or other HMOs, and selective licensing is a local licence for privately rented non-HMO homes in a designated area. In England, the mandatory HMO test includes a property that “is occupied by five or more persons”; in Wales, the mandatory HMO class still includes the extra condition that “the HMO or any part of it comprises three storeys or more”. Additional licensing is still HMO licensing, but for extra HMO descriptions chosen locally. Selective licensing is different: a selective licence is not the same as an HMO licence, and a property already subject to mandatory HMO licensing does not also need a selective licence because section 85 excludes a house where “it is an HMO to which Part 2 applies”. Scotland has HMO licensing and landlord registration, while Northern Ireland requires every HMO to be licensed unless temporarily exempted.

What is additional licensing, and which properties need one?

Additional licensing is a local HMO licensing scheme for HMO types that are not already caught by mandatory HMO licensing, and it applies only to the HMO descriptions and area named in the council’s designation. The Housing Act 2004 sets the trigger: the council must consider that “a significant proportion of the HMOs of that description in the area are being managed sufficiently ineffectively” to cause or be likely to cause problems. There is no fixed national rule that every 3-person or 4-person HMO needs an additional licence; the Act says the power may be used so that Part 2 “applies to all HMOs in the area in question”, but each council chooses the description. In practice, an additional licensing scheme often catches shared houses below the mandatory 5-person threshold: Bristol, for example, says its scheme applies where “3 or 4 people live in 2 or more households and share some basic facilities.”

Do you need a selective licence?

You need a selective licence only if the property is in England or Wales, is privately rented in an area designated for selective licensing, and is not outside Part 3 because of an HMO licence, exemption or temporary exemption notice. The statutory test starts with location: a Part 3 house is one where “it is in an area that is for the time being designated under section 80 as subject to selective licensing”. Once caught, “Every Part 3 house must be licensed under this Part unless—” one of the statutory exceptions applies. If your council has brought in selective licensing across your whole postcode, the answer can be yes even though the property is not technically an HMO, because selective licensing is designed for non-HMO private rented homes in the designated area. Wales has the legal power, but Welsh Government statistics say: “No local authorities have operated under this scheme since 2017 to 2018.” Scotland and Northern Ireland do not use selective licensing; they use landlord registration.

How do you find out whether your area has a selective or additional licensing scheme?

You find out whether an area has a selective or additional licensing scheme by checking the local housing authority’s own website, designation notice and postcode or property checker, because there is no national statutory selective licensing areas UK register. In England, a council that designates an additional or selective licensing area must “publish the notice on the authority’s internet site”, and the notice must include “a statement advising any landlord, person managing or tenant within the designated area to seek advice from the local housing authority on whether their property is affected by the designation”. That is why searches such as Selective Licensing Leeds map, selective licensing Westminster, Coventry council additional licensing, Additional HMO licensing Wandsworth, Lambeth additional HMO licensing and Tower Hamlets additional licensing should end on the council page, not a third-party map. London landlords can also use the GLA checker, which says: “Enter your postcode below to find out whether your privately rented home should have a property licence.”

Who is exempt from selective licensing?

In England, selective licensing exemptions come from the Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006 and from temporary exemption notices; Wales has its own exemption order for Welsh selective licensing. The English Order says: “This Order applies to houses(1) in England only.” Examples include holiday accommodation, because it exempts “a tenancy or licence that is granted to a person in relation to his occupancy of a house or a dwelling as a holiday home”, and resident-landlord arrangements, because it exempts a tenancy or licence where “the occupier shares any accommodation with the landlord or licensor or a member of the landlord’s or licensor’s family.” A temporary exemption notice also removes the duty while it lasts: “the house is… not required to be licensed under this Part during the period for which the notice is in force.” Scotland and Northern Ireland do not have selective licensing exemptions because they do not have Housing Act 2004 selective licensing.

How do you apply for a selective licence?

You apply for a selective licence to the local housing authority that designated the area, not through a national private rented property licence application portal. The Housing Act 2004 says: “An application for a licence must be made to the local housing authority”, and the same section says: “The application must be made in accordance with such requirements as the authority may specify.” That means a Leeds Selective Licensing application, Birmingham application, Liverpool application or any other selective licence application is made on that council’s system, with that council’s documents, fee and responsible-person questions. In England, the prescribed application package must include the statutory statement because the regulations say an application for a Part 3 licence “must include a statement in the form specified in paragraph 1of Schedule 2”. Abodient can hold the licence document against the property and flag its expiry, which matters because selective licences are property-specific and time-limited.

How much does a selective licence cost?

A selective licence costs whatever the local housing authority lawfully fixes for that scheme, because there is no national England-and-Wales fee tariff. The Housing Act 2004 says the authority may require the application to be accompanied by “a fee fixed by the authority”. Current council examples show why a single answer is unsafe: Birmingham says “Each licence costs £700 and will last for a maximum of 5 years”, Newham says “A Selective Licence costs £750, for up to 5 years”, and Leeds says its total fee is “£1,100 for online applications or £1,225 for paper applications”. Application-stage charging is also constrained by the Gaskin case: the High Court held Waltham Forest could not demand a £1,799 HMO renewal fee at application because it “was not limited to the costs of the procedures and formalities of the authorisation scheme”. Scotland and Northern Ireland have registration and HMO fee systems, not selective-licence fees.

How do you check whether a property already has a selective licence?

You check whether a property already has a selective licence by searching the local housing authority’s public licence register, or by asking the council for an extract if its online checker is incomplete or unavailable. The Housing Act 2004 requires every local housing authority to keep a register of “all licences granted by them under Part 2 or 3 which are in force”. The legal minimum is not an online property licence checker: the council must make the register “available at the authority’s head office for inspection by members of the public at all reasonable times”. If you need proof, the council must supply a certified copy or extract if requested, “subject to payment of such reasonable fee (if any) as the authority may determine”. Online registers vary: Oxford warns that “the register only shows issued licences, not all properties where an application has been submitted and is still being processed.”

Last reviewed September 2026.

Sources

• MHCLG, selective licensing guide for local authorities — “With effect from 23 December 2024 a new General Approval came into force and local housing authorities in England are no longer required to obtain confirmation from the Secretary of State before implementing a selective licensing scheme of any size.” Source
• Housing Act 2004 explanatory notes, Part 3 — “Part 3 of the Act introduces a power for LHAs to introduce selective licensing to deal with particular problems in an area.” Source
• Housing Act 2004 s.80 — “that the area is experiencing a significant and persistent problem caused by anti-social behaviour;” Source
• Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Description) (England) Order 2018, art.4 — “(a)is occupied by five or more persons;” Source
• Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Description) (Wales) Order 2006, art.3 — “(a)the HMO or any part of it comprises three storeys or more;” Source
• Housing Act 2004 s.85 — “(a)it is an HMO to which Part 2 applies (see section 55(2)), or” Source
• Scottish Government HMO consultation — “Mandatory HMO licensing applies to houses occupied by three or more persons, from three or more families, as their only or main residence.” Source
• Houses in Multiple Occupation Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 s.7 — “Every house in multiple occupation (“HMO”) must be licensed under this Act (unless a temporary exemption notice under section 15 is in effect in respect of it).” Source
• Housing Act 2004 s.56 — “The authority must consider that a significant proportion of the HMOs of that description in the area are being managed sufficiently ineffectively as to give rise, or to be likely to give rise, to one or more particular problems either for those occupying the HMOs or for members of the public.” Source
• Housing Act 2004 s.56 — “The power to make a designation under this section may be exercised in such a way that this Part applies to all HMOs in the area in question.” Source
• Bristol City Council, property licence types — “It applies to privately rented flats or houses, where 3 or 4 people live in 2 or more households and share some basic facilities.” Source
• Housing Act 2004 s.79 — “it is in an area that is for the time being designated under section 80 as subject to selective licensing, and” Source
• Housing Act 2004 s.85 — “Every Part 3 house must be licensed under this Part unless—” Source
• Welsh Government, housing hazards and HMO licensing quality report — “No local authorities have operated under this scheme since 2017 to 2018.” Source
• Housing Act 2004 s.270 — “Subject to subsections (12) and (13), this Act extends to England and Wales only.” Source
• Scottish Government, private renting regulation — “If a landlord lets a property without being registered or having applied to register, they can face a fine of up to £50,000 and have their rent payments suspended.” Source
• NI Direct, Landlord Registration Scheme — “By law, all private landlords in Northern Ireland must register with the Landlord Registration Scheme.” Source
• Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation and Other Houses (Miscellaneous Provisions) (England) Regulations 2006, reg.9 — “(b)publish the notice on the authority's internet site; and” Source
• Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation and Other Houses (Miscellaneous Provisions) (England) Regulations 2006, reg.9 — “(c)a statement advising any landlord, person managing or tenant within the designated area to seek advice from the local housing authority on whether their property is affected by the designation; and” Source
• Greater London Authority property licence checker — “Enter your postcode below to find out whether your privately rented home should have a property licence.” Source
• Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006, art.1 — “This Order applies to houses(1) in England only.” Source
• Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006, art.2 — “(g)a tenancy or licence that is granted to a person in relation to his occupancy of a house or a dwelling as a holiday home; or” Source
• Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006, art.2 — “(h)a tenancy or licence under the terms of which the occupier shares any accommodation with the landlord or licensor or a member of the landlord’s or licensor’s family.” Source
• Housing Act 2004 s.86 — “If a temporary exemption notice is served under this section, the house is (in accordance with section 85(1)) not required to be licensed under this Part during the period for which the notice is in force.” Source
• Housing Act 2004 s.87 — “An application for a licence must be made to the local housing authority.” Source
• Housing Act 2004 s.87 — “The application must be made in accordance with such requirements as the authority may specify.” Source
• Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation and Other Houses (Miscellaneous Provisions) (England) Regulations 2006, reg.7 — “An application for a licence under section 63 (application for HMO licence) or 87 (application for licence of Part 3 house) of the Act (“an application”) must include a statement in the form specified in paragraph 1of Schedule 2” Source
• Housing Act 2004 s.87 — “The authority may, in particular, require the application to be accompanied by a fee fixed by the authority.” Source
• Birmingham City Council, selective licence application — “Each licence costs £700 and will last for a maximum of 5 years.” Source
• Newham Council, rented property licensing — “A Selective Licence costs £750, for up to 5 years.” Source
• Leeds City Council, selective licensing — “There is no change to the total amount of the fee (£1,100 for online applications or £1,225 for paper applications), we have re-apportioned how much is paid at each stage.” Source
• R (Gaskin) v Richmond upon Thames LBC [2018] EWHC 1996 (Admin) — “Therefore the Defendant local authority was not entitled to demand that the Claimant pay, when making his application to renew his licence for the said property under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004, an application fee of £1,799.00 because that fee infringed Article 13(2) of the EU Services Directive 2006/123/EC and Regulation 18(4) of the Provision of Services Regulations 2009 as it was not limited to the costs of the procedures and formalities of the authorisation scheme under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004.” Source
• Housing Act 2004 s.232 — “(a)all licences granted by them under Part 2 or 3 which are in force;” Source
• Housing Act 2004 s.232 — “The authority must ensure that the contents of the register are available at the authority’s head office for inspection by members of the public at all reasonable times.” Source
• Housing Act 2004 s.232 — “If requested by a person to do so and subject to payment of such reasonable fee (if any) as the authority may determine, a local housing authority must supply the person with a copy (certified to be true) of the register or of an extract from it.” Source
• Oxford City Council, register of selective licences — “As such, the register only shows issued licences, not all properties where an application has been submitted and is still being processed.” Source