Licensing in Liverpool

• Selective licence

  In forceMedium confidence

  City of Liverpool (Area for Selective Licensing) Designation 2020 — current 2022 scheme

  Area

  The 16 historical wards listed in the confirmation notice and its map. Liverpool replaced its ward boundaries in 2023; matching a current ward name alone cannot establish coverage. Use the council’s exact-address lookup and confirmation map.

  16 wards named in the scheme:

  • Anfield
  • Central
  • County
  • Everton
  • Fazakerley
  • Greenbank
  • Kensington & Fairfield
  • Kirkdale
  • Old Swan
  • Picton
  • Princes Park
  • Riverside
  • St Michael’s
  • Tuebrook & Stoneycroft
  • Warbreck
  • Wavertree

  Ward boundaries: pre-2023 wards, as named in the 24 December 2020 designation

  Runs

  1 April 2022 to 30 March 2027

  Fee

  Published standard fee: £704

  Full fee £704: Part A £232.32 + Part B £471.68. Qualifying new rentals £486 (apply before occupation or within 14 days; purchases with tenants within 14 days completion). Discounted totals: EPC C+ £422; multi-flat £422; approved professional membership £449; combined EPC+multi-flat £358, either with membership £385, all three £321. No fee for qualifying permanent accommodation through council homelessness arrangements. Conditions and evidence apply; enforcement history may remove discounts. Current fee page fetched 15 October 2026.

  Who needs one

  Privately rented buildings, houses, maisonettes and flats in the designated historical area occupied under non-exempt tenancies or licences, including smaller shared homes; mandatory HMO-licensable premises follow the separate Part 2 route.

  Exemptions

  Part 2 licensable HMOs, temporary exemption notices and interim/final management orders; specified social housing/public-body accommodation, qualifying long leases, defined family/resident-landlord arrangements, holiday lets and other statutory exempt tenancies. The notice states full tests.

  Apply on the council’s websiteLicence conditionsCouncil's map or designation
  ›How we checked this

  Council made designation 24 December 2020; minister confirmed 30 November 2021; notice dated 7 December 2021. The council-authored notice, circulated by university-owned Liverpool Student Homes, says it comes into force 1 April 2022 and “shall cease to have effect on 31 stMarch 2027”. Following this dataset’s last-day convention, end_date is 30 March 2027; May 2026 cabinet prose instead says running until 31 March 2027. This discrepancy needs council/legal-document confirmation. Original council DOCX URL in the circulated notice now returns 404. Licences are non-transferable. The holder needs a valid UK service address; applications/payment/tracking are through LAR, accessible only from the UK. Standard conditions include tenant/property/safety management obligations and changes notification.

  Sources

  • liverpool.gov.uk: selectivelicensing
  • liverpool.gov.uk: do i need a selective licence
  • liverpool.gov.uk: apply for a selective licence
  • liverpool.gov.uk: fees discounts and exemptions
  • liverpool.gov.uk: 22 27 licence conditions september 22.docx
  • liverpoolstudenthomes.org: Briefing Note Landlord Licensing Official Notice January 2022 (PDF)
  • councillors.liverpool.gov.uk: Private Sector Housing Proposal for a Selective Licensing Designation (PDF)

• Mandatory HMO licence

  In force

  Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Liverpool fees)

  Area

  Whole Liverpool local authority area; independent of selective boundaries.

  Fee

  Published standard fee: £1,328

  New and renewal up-to-five-year licence for up to 5 units: Part A £489.10 + Part B £838.90 = £1,328. Totals: 6 units £1,449; 7 £1,570; 8 £1,691; 9 £1,811; 10 £1,932. Over 10 adds £60 per unit; page mentions a £3,620 maximum without clearly identifying its component. A is payable on application; B before grant. Short licences charge A plus 40% of B for 1 year or 70% of B for 3 years.

  Who needs one

  HMOs with five or more people, including babies and children, forming two or more households and sharing facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom. Council guidance says the storey-height criterion ceased on 1 October 2018.

  Exemptions

  The council says a property in a purpose-built block with three or more other self-contained flats may not need an HMO licence; contact Private Sector Housing to establish the statutory exception.

  Apply on the council’s websiteLicence conditions
  ›How we checked this

  Council publishes fees for new and renewal applications. Shorter licences may be issued for previously unlicensed properties, poor management, ignored notices or missing planning permission. Apply through the council LAR account with property and safety evidence. Licensing and Article 4/planning are separate. No current additional-HMO designation was found; enforcement guidance describes mandatory HMO and selective licensing as the two operating schemes.

  Sources

  • liverpool.gov.uk: apply for an hmo licence
  • liverpool.gov.uk: hmo licence guidance
  • liverpool.gov.uk: how we monitor conditions

• Selective licence

  ProposedMedium confidence

  Proposed 2027–2032 selective licensing: Low housing demand — citywide

  Area

  Proposed all 64 current Liverpool wards; citywide option, not an adopted citywide licensing requirement.

  Fee

  Published standard fee: £995

  PROPOSED full fee only, from the May 2026 cabinet consultation proposal section 7.1, not a current payable fee. That version describes typical reduced fees £687–£507 and £240 for council homelessness pathways; detailed Appendix 6 and final July consultation fee schedule were not recovered. Do not substitute this for the current £704 fee.

  Who needs one

  Proposed licensing of non-exempt privately rented housing within the option’s area. Final coverage, conditions, fees and commencement depend on a later designation decision.

  Council's map or designation
  ›How we checked this

  Public consultation ran 27 July–5 October 2026 and is closed as of 15 October 2026. No final designation decision was found. Cabinet material allows one or more grounds individually or in combination; the three coverage options must not be summed or treated as approved. April 2027/2027–2032 are proposed timing only, so exact start/end remain null. The council’s short consultation link returns 404; record retained from the council-owned news and directly fetched council committee PDFs. Proposal conditions refer to Appendix 5, not recovered. Existing valid licences are proposed to remain valid, with renewal when each expires if inside a final approved area.

  Sources

  • councillors.liverpool.gov.uk: Appendix 1 Selective Licensing Designation Consultation Proposal 1 (PDF)
  • councillors.liverpool.gov.uk: Private Sector Housing Proposal for a Selective Licensing Designation (PDF)
  • liverpoolexpress.co.uk: liverpool residents invited to have their say on the future of the private rented sector

• Selective licence

  ProposedMedium confidence

  Proposed 2027–2032 selective licensing: Deprivation —29 wards

  Area

  Proposed 29 current wards listed in the May 2026 cabinet proposal, pages 70–71. A proposal, not an extension of the current licensing boundary.

  29 wards named in the proposal:

  • Anfield
  • Arundel
  • Canning
  • County
  • Dingle
  • Edge Hill
  • Everton East
  • Everton West
  • Fazakerley East
  • Fazakerley North
  • Fazakerley West
  • Garston
  • Kensington & Fairfield
  • Kirkdale East
  • Kirkdale West
  • Old Swan East
  • Old Swan West
  • Orrell Park
  • Princes Park
  • Sefton Park
  • Smithdown
  • Stoneycroft
  • Toxteth
  • Tuebrook Breckside Park
  • Tuebrook Larkhill
  • Vauxhall
  • Walton
  • Waterfront North
  • Wavertree Village

  Ward boundaries: 2023 wards (current ONS ward names)

  Fee

  Published standard fee: £995

  PROPOSED full fee only, from the May 2026 cabinet consultation proposal section 7.1, not a current payable fee. That version describes typical reduced fees £687–£507 and £240 for council homelessness pathways; detailed Appendix 6 and final July consultation fee schedule were not recovered. Do not substitute this for the current £704 fee.

  Who needs one

  Proposed licensing of non-exempt privately rented housing within the option’s area. Final coverage, conditions, fees and commencement depend on a later designation decision.

  Council's map or designation
  ›How we checked this

  Public consultation ran 27 July–5 October 2026 and is closed as of 15 October 2026. No final designation decision was found. Cabinet material allows one or more grounds individually or in combination; the three coverage options must not be summed or treated as approved. April 2027/2027–2032 are proposed timing only, so exact start/end remain null. The council’s short consultation link returns 404; record retained from the council-owned news and directly fetched council committee PDFs. Proposal conditions refer to Appendix 5, not recovered. Existing valid licences are proposed to remain valid, with renewal when each expires if inside a final approved area.

  Sources

  • councillors.liverpool.gov.uk: Appendix 1 Selective Licensing Designation Consultation Proposal 1 (PDF)
  • councillors.liverpool.gov.uk: Private Sector Housing Proposal for a Selective Licensing Designation (PDF)
  • liverpoolexpress.co.uk: liverpool residents invited to have their say on the future of the private rented sector

• Selective licence

  ProposedMedium confidence

  Proposed 2027–2032 selective licensing: Poor property conditions —26 wards

  Area

  Proposed 26 current wards listed in the May 2026 cabinet proposal, pages 70–71. A proposal, not an extension of the current licensing boundary.

  26 wards named in the proposal:

  • Anfield
  • Arundel
  • Church
  • County
  • Edge Hill
  • Everton East
  • Everton North
  • Fazakerley North
  • Garston
  • Kensington & Fairfield
  • Kirkdale East
  • Kirkdale West
  • Old Swan East
  • Old Swan West
  • Orrell Park
  • Penny Lane
  • Princes Park
  • Sefton Park
  • Smithdown
  • St Michaels
  • Stoneycroft
  • Toxteth
  • Tuebrook Breckside Park
  • Tuebrook Larkhill
  • Walton
  • Wavertree Village

  Ward boundaries: 2023 wards (current ONS ward names)

  Fee

  Published standard fee: £995

  PROPOSED full fee only, from the May 2026 cabinet consultation proposal section 7.1, not a current payable fee. That version describes typical reduced fees £687–£507 and £240 for council homelessness pathways; detailed Appendix 6 and final July consultation fee schedule were not recovered. Do not substitute this for the current £704 fee.

  Who needs one

  Proposed licensing of non-exempt privately rented housing within the option’s area. Final coverage, conditions, fees and commencement depend on a later designation decision.

  Council's map or designation
  ›How we checked this

  Public consultation ran 27 July–5 October 2026 and is closed as of 15 October 2026. No final designation decision was found. Cabinet material allows one or more grounds individually or in combination; the three coverage options must not be summed or treated as approved. April 2027/2027–2032 are proposed timing only, so exact start/end remain null. The council’s short consultation link returns 404; record retained from the council-owned news and directly fetched council committee PDFs. Proposal conditions refer to Appendix 5, not recovered. Existing valid licences are proposed to remain valid, with renewal when each expires if inside a final approved area.

  Sources

  • councillors.liverpool.gov.uk: Appendix 1 Selective Licensing Designation Consultation Proposal 1 (PDF)
  • councillors.liverpool.gov.uk: Private Sector Housing Proposal for a Selective Licensing Designation (PDF)
  • liverpoolexpress.co.uk: liverpool residents invited to have their say on the future of the private rented sector

Council source

Liverpool's civil penalty policy

• Future selective licensing designations 2027–2032: low demand 64 wards, deprivation 29 wards, poor conditions 26 wardsClosed, awaiting decision

  Closed 5 Oct 2026

We could not settle these points when we researched Liverpool on 15 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

• Not yet confirmed

  Resolve end-date discrepancy: circulated council confirmation notice says cease to have effect on 31 March 2027 (stored last day 30 March), while May 2026 cabinet prose says running until 31 March 2027. Original council-hosted confirmation DOCX is 404; retained council-authored notice is rehosted by Liverpool Student Homes.

• Not yet confirmed

  The current designation’s 16 wards predate the 2023 boundary replacement. No complete official current-ward crosswalk was recovered; use the exact-address council lookup/map, not name matching. May 2026 proposal prose calls them 16 of then 32 wards and says now 39 wards; this historical count is inconsistent with the old ward structure and is not used to infer coverage.

• Not yet confirmed

  The council’s /selectivelicensingconsultation link returns 404 and the current consultation index no longer lists the closed exercise. The May 2026 cabinet proposal and 27 July council-owned news are fetched evidence, but final July consultation Appendix 5 conditions/Appendix 6 fee-discount schedule and any post 5 October decision need refetching. Do not infer final fees/approval from an earlier draft.

• Not yet confirmed

  No additional HMO designation, renewal consultation or recently expired additional scheme was found in council-site/committee searches; current council guidance describes only mandatory HMO and selective schemes. This absence finding is not a guarantee against later or unpublished decisions.

• Not yet confirmed

  No selective/additional scheme ending within the last 12 months was found. The former citywide selective scheme ended March 2020, outside this dataset’s recent-expiry window.

• Not yet confirmed

  Clarify whether the HMO fee page’s£3,620 maximum is a total licence cap or a Part B cap; its table wording is ambiguous.

• Not yet confirmed

  Independent visual verification of the signed Dales direction resolved its making/confirmation dates (12 January / 18 April 2018). effective_date refers to the earlier Dales direction only, whose operative clause gives 19 July 2018; the larger eleven-ward direction took effect on its later confirmation, 17 June 2021. Use each direction’s plan and date rather than applying the earlier date across the larger area.

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Liverpool is in North West, where registration is planned from 15 May 2027 to 14 August 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register