Selective Licensing in Nottingham

Nottingham is still running one of the toughest selective licensing schemes in the country: a second, near-citywide designation from 1 December 2023 to 30 November 2028, on top of mandatory and additional HMO licensing.

Scheme status, scope, dates

• Scheme: Nottingham City Council Designation of an Area for Selective Licensing 2023.
• Status: Active second scheme, following the 2018-2023 scheme.

Dates:

• First scheme: 1 August 2018 - 31 July 2023.
• Second scheme: 1 December 2023 - 30 November 2028.

Scope: The 2023 designation covers most of the city, estimated around 30,000 privately rented homes, similar to the first scheme but with some areas trimmed.

The fee policy describes it as: "a significant amount of the city" so that "most privately rented homes in the city are required to have a property licence" under selective licensing.

Landlords must check specific postcodes on the council's MyProperty tool to confirm coverage, but the practical position is: assume you are in unless the checker says otherwise.

Fees (up to and from 1 April 2026)

From Nottingham's selective licensing fee pages and fee policy:

Individual property licence (most single-lets)

Fees (1 April 2025 - 31 March 2026):

Accredited landlord (DASH, Unipol, ANUK):

• Part A: GBP 290
• Part B: GBP 469
• Total: GBP 759

Non-accredited:

• Part A: GBP 290
• Part B: GBP 660
• Total: GBP 950

"Less compliant" landlords:

• Part A: GBP 290
• Part B: GBP 1,028
• Total: GBP 1,318

From 1 April 2026, fees rise modestly (draft 2026/27 schedule confirms similar structure, higher Part B): the banding (accredited / non-accredited / less compliant) remains.

Block licences (blocks of flats)

Base fee: GBP 1,873-3,303 depending on compliance band, plus a per-dwelling fee (GBP 544-565 per flat).

So the headline is: roughly GBP 759-950 per standard house for 5 years if you are not in trouble, GBP 1,318 if classed as "less compliant".

Licence conditions

Selective licences sit alongside HMO licences but focus on "ordinary" rented homes.

Key conditions (summarised from scheme guidance and fee policy):

Property condition:

• Free from Category 1 hazards.
• Adequate heating, hot water, safe electrics and gas.

Safety:

• Working smoke alarms on all floors.
• CO detectors where there is solid fuel.
• Valid gas safety certificate, EICR, EPC.

Management:

• Fit and proper person test for licence holder and manager.
• Tenants given contact details and clear arrangements for repairs.

Tenancy management:

• Written tenancy agreements.
• Correct deposit protection and prescribed information.
• Reasonable steps to tackle antisocial behaviour.

Separate additional and mandatory HMO schemes add bedroom size, amenity and fire-safety specifics for HMOs.

Penalties and enforcement

Nottingham is one of the most active councils for licensing enforcement.

Its Investigating Housing Offences page lists dozens of civil penalty notices (CPNs), prosecutions and RROs for failure to license, breach of licence, and other housing offences.

Example CPN: 23/05/2019 - Failure to licence under Section 95(1) Housing Act 2004 - GBP 6,617.51 financial penalty.

The council also operates:

• A Financial Penalties Policy.
• Rogue landlord database policy.
• Banning order policy for the worst offenders.

Under current law: Failing to hold a selective licence can trigger:

• Civil penalties up to GBP 30,000.
• Rent Repayment Orders up to 12 months' rent (likely to double once Renters' Rights Act RRO rules bed in).

Nottingham is routinely cited in national overviews as one of the councils most willing to use CPNs and RROs, and central government's new RRO guidance uses selective licensing offences as a key example.

Exemptions

Standard Housing Act exemptions apply; selective licensing does not cover:

• Properties requiring a mandatory or additional HMO licence.
• Social housing and specified housing association stock.
• Certain long leases and business tenancies.
• Specified student halls or PBSA (where other controls apply).

The designation explicitly excludes Section 257 HMOs (certain converted blocks).

Application process

Nottingham runs three schemes (mandatory HMO, additional HMO, and selective) via a single portal, and will "work out which scheme your property comes under based on your answers".

You apply online for a Selective licence (individual property) or a block licence via the council's licensing pages.

You need:

• Landlord and manager details (fit and proper declarations).
• Property and occupancy details.
• Gas safety, EICR, EPC.
• Card payment for Part A; Part B when the licence is ready to grant.

The council has produced a step-by-step application video through its Safer Housing team to reduce "I found it too complicated" excuses.

Impact on the market and influence on other councils

Impact locally: The first 2018-23 scheme licensed ~30,000 properties, forcing upgrades across a big chunk of the PRS. The renewal in 2023 shows the council believes the scheme works:

• Conditions and management improved.
• Better visibility of rogue landlords.
• Enhanced data to target enforcement.

Landlord and agent commentary: Many smaller landlords see the GBP 759-950 fee and compliance burden as a reason to sell up or avoid Nottingham, particularly if they also face additional or mandatory HMO licensing. Larger and accredited landlords treat it as a cost of doing business; some are happy because weaker competition is filtered out.

Influence on other councils: Nottingham's near-citywide scheme has been widely cited in DLUHC discussions and landlord press as a model for broad designations outside London. Later schemes (e.g. Lewisham, Waltham Forest 2025, Rotherham 2026-31) have borrowed:

• The "accredited / non-accredited / less compliant" fee structure.
• Big, multi-ward designations rather than small pilots.

What forums get wrong about Nottingham selective licensing

Myth 1: "The city-wide selective scheme ended in July 2023, Nottingham is back to normal."

Reality: The first scheme ended 31 July 2023, but a second scheme started 1 December 2023 and runs to 30 November 2028, again covering most privately rented homes in the city.

Myth 2: "Selective licensing is truly citywide, every property in the boundary needs a licence."

Reality: The new designation has slightly different boundaries; some areas were trimmed. You must check each postcode, although in practice coverage is still around 90% of PRS.

Myth 3: "Fees are a flat GBP 820 or so; accreditation does not really matter."

Reality: Fees are banded:

• GBP 759 for accredited.
• GBP 950 for non-accredited.
• GBP 1,318 for less compliant landlords.

Accreditation and compliance history directly change what you pay.

Myth 4: "Selective licensing is just a paper exercise; Nottingham doesn't enforce."

Reality: Nottingham has an extensive record of civil penalties, prosecutions and RROs for failure to license and related offences, with published cases like the GBP 6,617.51 penalty for failure to license and dedicated policies for penalties, rogue-landlord database and banning orders.

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