Council licensing in East of England

Licensing in Norwich

Norwich has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force. A selective scheme in 4 wards is proposed. A additional HMO scheme across the whole council area is proposed.

Checked 14 Oct 2026

Check an address in Norwich

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

Licensing, ward by ward

Select a ward to see its name and licensing.

Scheme approved or proposed13

Current ward boundaries from ONS. Some homes are exempt, so check your postcode and the scheme details below.

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

Licensing schemes

Mandatory HMO licence
In force
Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Norwich fees)
Area
The whole of Norwich (national scheme).
Fee
£1,141 for 5 years
From the council's HMO licensing page: £1,141 in total, paid as £636 on application (non-refundable, including if the property turns out not to need a licence or the application is refused) and £505 once the application is processed, covering a five-year licence. Renewals cost the same as new applications; changes to a licence are free, but a change of licence holder needs a new application. The page says fees are reviewed yearly; it shows no fee date.
Who needs one
HMOs with five or more tenants forming two or more households who share amenities such as a bathroom, toilet or cooking facilities. An individual flat in a block of self-contained flats can need a licence if five or more people live in it.
Exemptions
The council page says no licence is needed where the property is owned or managed by a housing association, council, police, NHS or fire service, or where the building contains only self-contained flats (unless an individual flat has five or more occupants).
Apply on the council's website Licence conditions
How we checked this
This is the national scheme. Norwich publishes its own page and fees. The council aims to process applications within 20 weeks and inspects before issuing a licence. Its HMO policy (version 2.1) says 'The council does not currently undertake any additional licensing' but may consult on a scheme in future.
Sources
- norwich.gov.uk: houses multiple occupation hmos licensing
- norwich.gov.uk: Houses In Multiple Occupation Policy 2025 1 (PDF)
Selective licence
ProposedLow confidence
Proposed selective licensing in up to four wards (not yet consulted on or designated)
Area
Appendix 5 to the 9 September 2026 Cabinet report ('Proposed Selective Licensing Boundaries') maps the proposed area as the whole of Mile Cross, Sewell, Nelson and Town Close wards. No designation has been made; the final area will be decided after the consultation.
4 wards named in the proposal:
Nelson
Mile Cross
Town Close
Sewell
Ward boundaries: current wards
Fee
Not yet confirmed
Proposed for consultation only and may change (Appendix 7 to the 9 September 2026 Cabinet report): standard selective licence £700 (Part A £350 on application, Part B £350 once a licence is granted); £675 for an accredited landlord or agent, or for a property with an EPC rated A to C; £650 with both. Licences would normally last up to five years.
Who needs one
Proposal only, nothing is licensable yet. Selective licensing would cover privately rented homes in the designated area that do not need an HMO licence.
How we checked this
Proposal only; nothing is licensable yet. The 6 August 2026 scrutiny report named Nelson, Mile Cross, Town Close and Sewell as wards that may meet the criteria; Nelson has the most privately rented homes with serious hazards (376). On 9 September 2026 Cabinet (item CAB/26/035, minute 47.3) resolved to 'Approve consultation on the proposed Selective Licensing designation covering 4 wards'. The report describes about 6,300 privately rented homes across Nelson, Mile Cross, Sewell and Town Close. A consultation of at least 10 weeks is required, followed by a further Cabinet report before any designation. On 14 October 2026 no consultation was open on council channels and no start date had been published.
Sources
Additional HMO licence
ProposedLow confidence
Proposed citywide additional HMO licensing (not yet consulted on or designated)
Area
Proposed for the whole city. No designation exists.
Fee
Not yet confirmed
Proposed for consultation only and may change (Appendix 7 to the 9 September 2026 Cabinet report): standard additional HMO licence £1,000 (Part A £500 on application, Part B £500 once a licence is granted); £975 for an accredited landlord or agent, or for a property with an EPC rated A to C; £950 with both. Licences would normally last up to five years and renewals would cost the same as new applications.
Who needs one
Proposal only, nothing is licensable yet. The council's August 2026 scrutiny report says it could consult on a citywide additional licensing scheme for three and four person HMOs.
How we checked this
Proposal only; nothing is licensable yet. The Scrutiny Committee report 'Private Rented Sector Housing in Norwich' (6 August 2026) set out the evidence (an estimated 2,343 HMOs, about 1,137 of them smaller HMOs outside mandatory licensing). On 9 September 2026 Cabinet (item CAB/26/035, minute 47.3) resolved to 'Approve consultation on the proposed citywide Additional Licensing scheme' and to publish the draft licence conditions, boundaries, fees and rationale. The report describes a citywide scheme covering about 1,100 smaller HMOs occupied by 3 or 4 people. The consultation must run for at least 10 weeks under the 2024 General Approval and will be run by a procured consultation provider; Cabinet will then receive a further report and decide whether to designate. On 14 October 2026 no licensing consultation was open on the council's consultations page or Get Talking Norwich, and no start date had been published.
Sources

Article 4 for house shares

We found no Article 4 direction on house shares in Norwich.

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.

'Civil Penalties and Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector' (version 3.0, last version-control entry 3 November 2025, 'published date TBC') refers only to 'anticipated changes under the Renters' Rights Act' and a maximum of £30,000 per offence. Indicative starting ranges: failure to licence an HMO £12,500 to £22,500; failure to licence a property under selective licensing £12,500 to £22,500; breaches of licence conditions from £500 to £27,500 depending on the condition. Aggravating or mitigating factors normally move a penalty by up to £5,000. The council's Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy 2025 (version 3.0) also says it will be reviewed within six months of the Renters' Rights Act.

Norwich's civil penalty policy

Consultations

We found no consultations when we researched Norwich.

Not yet confirmed

We could not settle these points when we researched Norwich on 14 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

Not yet confirmed
Start and close dates of the statutory consultation (at least 10 weeks) on citywide additional licensing and selective licensing in Nelson, Mile Cross, Sewell and Town Close. Cabinet approved the consultation on 9 September 2026, but on 14 October 2026 it was not yet open on norwich.gov.uk or gettalking.norwich.gov.uk.
Not yet confirmed
When Cabinet will decide whether to designate either scheme, and any proposed start date; none is published. The proposed fees (£1,000 additional, £700 selective) are for consultation only.
Not yet confirmed
The mandatory HMO fee (£1,141) has no date on the council page; fees are reviewed yearly.
Not yet confirmed
No Renters' Rights Act update to the civil penalties policy was found; the published policy still caps penalties at £30,000.

Landlord register

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Norwich is in East of England, where registration is planned from 15 January 2027 to 14 April 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register