Council licensing · West Midlands

Licensing in Dudley

Dudley has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

Researched 14 October 2026 · Independently checked 14 October 2026

Check a specific address in Dudley

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.

National rules only24

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

Selective licensing: None
Additional HMO licensing: No
Article 4 on house shares: Yes
Consultation: None open

Licensing schemes

Mandatory HMO licence
In forceMedium confidence
Mandatory HMO licensing (Housing Act 2004 Part 2)
Area
National scheme, applies across the whole borough.
Fee
Not yet confirmed
The council says 'There is a fee for the licensing of each HMO' and raises an invoice once it receives the application form. The amount is not published on its private landlords page, and the application form refers to a separate 'Fees Sheet' that was not found online.
Who needs one
All HMOs with five or more people in them (an HMO being 3 or more people forming 2 or more households who share a toilet, bathroom or kitchen).
Notes
Included because the council publishes its own HMO licensing page and application form. Applications are on a paper form posted to the Housing Enforcement Team, Council House, Priory Road, Dudley DY1 1HF. A floor plan is mandatory, and an application without a current gas safety certificate (where there is gas) is invalid. The form says HMO licences last for a maximum of five years. Medium confidence because the fee is unpublished. No selective or additional licensing scheme, or consultation on one, was found.
Apply on the council site Licence conditions
Sources
- dudley.gov.uk: private landlords
- dudley.gov.uk: hmo licence application form (PDF)

Article 4 for house shares

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

Area: Borough_wide (removes C3 to C4 permitted development rights for small HMOs of up to 6 people across the whole borough)
Takes effect: 15 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 not been updated for the Renters' Rights Act.

The only policy linked from the council's landlord page is the 'Dudley Civil Penalties Enforcement Guidance 2019'. It sets a maximum of £30,000 under the Housing and Planning Act 2016, Culpability and seriousness of harm set a penalty level, which maps to a band from £600-£1,200 (level 1) up to £15,000-£30,000 (level 5/5+). The amount is then adjusted for the landlord's income and track record (notices, penalties and prosecutions in the previous 2 years). It has not been updated for the Renters' Rights Act 2025 £40,000 maximum. The council also has a Banning Order Policy (May 2019).

Dudley's civil penalty policy

Consultations

No consultation was recorded when we researched Dudley.

Not yet confirmed

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

Not yet confirmed
The mandatory HMO licence fee is not published on the council's website; the application form refers to a separate fees sheet that was not found.
Not yet confirmed
No Renters' Rights Act 2025 civil penalty policy was found on the council's website or in search; the published guidance is from 2019 and uses the £30,000 maximum. Check whether a newer policy has been adopted.
Not yet confirmed
The Article 4 page says the direction was confirmed in August 2023 and comes into force on 15 September 2023. The sealed direction PDF was not read.
Not yet confirmed
Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): the HMO licence fee (no fee schedule was found and no wider search was possible), and whether a Renters' Rights Act civil penalty policy has been adopted (no committee search was possible).

Landlord register

Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Dudley 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