Council licensing · West Midlands

Licensing in Coventry

Coventry has additional HMO licensing across the whole council area.

Researched 14 October 2026 · Independently checked 14 October 2026

Check a specific address in Coventry

We match the postcode to its ward and the schemes below.

Licensing, ward by ward

Tap a ward, or focus it with your keyboard, to see its name and recorded coverage.

Additional HMO licensing area18

Additional HMO licensing also covers the whole council area.

Current ONS ward boundaries. Exemptions apply. Use the postcode check and scheme details for your property.

Selective licensing: None
Additional HMO licensing: Yes, whole council area
Article 4 on house shares: Yes
Consultation: None open

Licensing schemes

Additional HMO licence
In force
Coventry City Council Designation for an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2025
Area
The whole of Coventry City Council's district, edged red on the map at Appendix A of the designation.
Runs
4 May 2025 to 2 May 2030
Fee
£1,571
Additional licences use the same fees and process as mandatory licences. Every fee has a Stage 1 of £716 (paid on application, non-refundable since 1 April 2022), plus a Stage 2 paid within 14 days of the decision to issue. Totals: standard new application (one-year licence) £1,571 (Stage 2 £855); new 2-year licence £1,116 (Stage 2 £400); new 5-year licence £944 (Stage 2 £228); renewal for the same term £937 (Stage 2 £221); 'higher rate' one-year licence where the HMO ran unlicensed for more than 12 weeks £2,241 (Stage 2 £1,525). Optional: advice visit £289 + VAT (£347); paper application printing and posting £42; additional paper application £16.
Who needs one
All HMOs not subject to mandatory licensing: s254 HMOs occupied by 3 or more people forming 2 or more households (including HMOs of 3 or 4 occupiers regardless of storeys, HMOs with no shared amenities, and flats in multiple occupation in purpose-built blocks, including cluster flats in privately run student blocks), and s257 HMOs (converted self-contained flats not meeting the relevant Building Regulations) that are mainly or wholly tenanted, including those with resident landlords.
Exemptions
Schedule 14 buildings (not HMOs for licensing purposes, including student accommodation managed by an educational establishment that meets the Schedule 14 criteria); HMOs under an Interim or Final Management Order; HMOs with a Temporary Exemption Notice under s62; HMOs needing a mandatory licence under s55(2)(a); s257 HMOs of only two flats where neither is above or below commercial premises; and s257 HMOs whose flats share no internal or external common parts and are no more than two storeys high.
Notes
This is a renewal. Coventry's first city-wide additional licensing designation ran from 4 May 2020 to 3 May 2025, which is more than 12 months ago, so it is not listed separately. Cabinet approved consultation on 13 February 2024; the consultation ran from 26 February to 17 May 2024; Full Council agreed the designation on 3 September 2024. It was made on 7 October 2024 under the 2015 General Approval, came into force on 4 May 2025, and 'will cease to have effect on the 3rd May 2030' unless revoked, so end_date is 2 May 2030, the last day in force. (The designation's heading says '2020' but its citation clause names it the 2025 designation.) Licence length is 1, 2 or 5 years depending on eligibility criteria. First-time licensees normally get one year; five years requires council accreditation among other criteria; a property found operating unlicensed for 12+ weeks only gets one year at the higher rate. Renewals must be submitted before the existing licence expires, or a new-application fee applies. HMOs operating without the correct planning permission get only a one-year licence with a condition to seek permission.
Apply on the council site
Sources
Mandatory HMO licence
In force
Mandatory HMO licensing (Housing Act 2004 Part 2)
Area
National scheme, applies across the whole city.
Fee
£1,571
Same fee table as additional licences: Stage 1 £716 plus a Stage 2 that depends on licence length. Standard new (one-year) £1,571; 2-year £1,116; 5-year £944; renewal £937; higher rate (unlicensed 12+ weeks) £2,241.
Who needs one
HMOs occupied by five or more people forming more than one household.
Notes
Included because the council publishes its own fee table. Licences are issued for 1, 2 or 5 years against published eligibility criteria. The processing target is 20 weeks; tacit consent does not apply.
Apply on the council site
Sources

Article 4 for house shares

Coventry has an Article 4 direction on houses in multiple occupation. Turning a family home into a shared house may need planning permission.

Area: Specific areas: 11 wards - Cheylesmore, Earlsdon, Foleshill, Lower Stoke, Radford, Sherbourne, St. Michaels, Upper Stoke, Wainbody, Westwood and Whoberley (C3 to C4 change of use needs planning permission). Moving to a 7+ person sui generis HMO needs permission city-wide.
Takes effect: 30 September 2023

Council source

Civil penalty policy

The council's policy sets how it decides the size of a fine. The version we found has been updated for the Renters' Rights Act.

The Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy 2026-2031 was approved by Cabinet on 17 March 2026 and by Full Council on 24 March 2026 (minute 93). It took immediate effect for the powers that started on 27 December 2025, with the remaining Renters' Rights Act powers from 1 May 2026; the 2020 policy applied in the interim. It cites the £40,000 maximum. Housing Act 2004 starting points: mandatory HMO unlicensed £17,000; additional HMO unlicensed £17,000; selective unlicensed £12,000; knowingly permitting HMO over-occupation £20,000; failure to comply with an improvement notice £25,000; licence-condition breaches start from £3,000 (low impact). The council may offer up to 30% off if payment is made within 21 days as a settlement before a tribunal application, and repayment plans of up to 24 months may be considered. The council's 'Unlicensed HMOs and enforcement' web page still says civil penalties are 'up to £30,000'.

Coventry's civil penalty policy

Consultations

Extension of city-wide additional HMO licensing (2025-2030)Approved
Closed 17 May 2024

Not yet confirmed

These points were unresolved when we researched Coventry on 14 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

Not yet confirmed
Selective licensing: there is no scheme. On 24 March 2026 Full Council adopted an amended motion. It says any selective licensing proposal must go to Cabinet in a detailed report that evaluates the additional licensing scheme and the Renters' Rights Act impact, before the council decides whether to proceed. An officer scrutiny briefing on 15 January 2026 said 16 of 18 wards exceed the national PRS share. No Cabinet report, consultation or ward list was found as of 14 October 2026, so watch for one.
Not yet confirmed
Licence conditions document URL for HMO and additional licences was not located.
Not yet confirmed
The council's property licensing landing page (updated 29 July 2025) still describes the 2019 selective licensing consultation; it does not reflect the March 2026 Council motion.
Not yet confirmed
Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): the licence-length eligibility criteria (1, 2 or 5 years), the 20-week processing target and the statement that tacit consent does not apply.

Landlord register

Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Coventry is in West Midlands, where the planned registration window runs from 15 December 2026 to 14 March 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Register dates, fee and documents