Licensing - Selective, Additional, Mandatory
In England, many rented homes must have a licence from the local council. Licensing is mainly about safety, property standards and management, and sits alongside newer duties under the Renters’ Rights Act, such as the Decent Homes Standard and stronger local enforcement powers.
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England to certain Houses in Multiple Occupation broadly, properties occupied by five or more people in two or more households who share facilities. Children count towards the numbers. A landlord cannot legally let such a property without a licence.
Additional licensing is an optional scheme a council can introduce for other HMOs in its area, typically to tackle poor management in smaller shared houses or certain converted buildings. For example, some councils require a licence for HMOs with three or four sharers as well as the larger, mandatory-licensable HMOs.
Selective licensing lets councils require any private rented home in a designated area to be licensed, even if it is not an HMO. Schemes are usually justified by problems like poor housing conditions or anti-social behaviour. Recent government guidance and a 2024 General Approval have made it simpler for councils to roll out selective licensing over wider areas without central sign-off.
A licence normally requires the landlord to be “fit and proper” and to meet conditions about safety checks, maximum occupation, repairs and management. Under the Renters’ Rights reforms, licensing will sit alongside a national Property Portal and tougher civil penalties, giving councils more tools to act against unlicensed or substandard properties.
Rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ, so renters should check the position in their nation.
