Datestone.

Licensing, council by council

Selective and additional HMO licensing are set by each council. Find yours to see what we have confirmed from the council’s own pages, with the dates and the source, and what we have not confirmed yet.

The three kinds of licence

Everywhere in England, a large house in multiple occupation (HMO) needs a licence: one rented to 5 or more people who form more than 1 household, where some or all of them share a toilet, bathroom or kitchen and at least 1 of them pays rent.

A council can also require licences for HMOs the national rule does not cover, such as smaller ones, across all or part of its area. That is additional licensing.

A council can also designate all or part of its area for selective licensing. There, a home let on a tenancy needs a licence from the council, unless it needs an HMO licence instead.

The law, word for word

Each quote below was read on its page on 01/10/2026. Follow the link to read it in full.

A large HMO needs a licence everywhere in England

Additional licensing: HMOs the council chooses

Selective licensing: rented homes in an area the council chooses

Councils A to Z

Beside each council: selective licensing, then additional HMO licensing. “Not confirmed” means we have not confirmed it either way, so the council’s own page is the place to check. Each council’s page shows what every answer rests on.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

V

W

Does it cover your address?

A scheme can cover only part of a council’s area. The free check takes your postcode and answers for your rental, with the official source for each rule.

Check your rental — free, 2 minutes

Then run it free as your first home