Council licensing · West Midlands
Licensing in Redditch
Redditch has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.
Researched 14 October 2026 · Independently checked 14 October 2026
Check a specific address in Redditch
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 only9
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
- Not yet confirmed
- Consultation
- None open
Licensing schemes
Mandatory HMO licence
In forceMandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Redditch fees)
- Area
The whole borough (national scheme).
- Fee
£164 for 5 years
Per person, not per property: £163.90 for each occupant, so a 5-person HMO costs £819.50. No date is shown on the fee and no discounts are listed. Payment is made online under 'Licensing' then 'HMOs', using the first line of the HMO address as the reference.
- Who needs one
- HMOs occupied by at least 5 people forming 2 or more households who share at least one basic amenity such as a bathroom or kitchen.
- Exemptions
- Statutory exemptions under Schedule 14, Housing Act 2004.
- Notes
- No selective or additional licensing scheme was found; the council's HMO pages describe only the national mandatory scheme. The council says a licence is usually issued for up to 5 years. Applications are made on a downloadable form returned by post or email; the link on the council page points to a file named 'application-for-variation-of-hmo-licence.pdf'. The council's 2026 enforcement policy says compliance with the Redditch and Bromsgrove HMO amenity standards is a condition of every HMO licence (so the conditions_url is the amenity standards document, not a separate conditions list). The council inspects all licensed HMOs routinely and publishes a register (October 2026 CSV). The council's tenant advice still says rent repayment is limited to 12 months and requires a conviction; this predates the Renters' Rights Act 2025 changes and should not be relied on.
Article 4 for house shares
Whether Redditch has an Article 4 direction on house shares.
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 & Civil Penalty Policy 2026' was approved by the Executive Committee on 9 June 2026 and rewritten for the Renters' Rights Act 2025. It follows the MHCLG statutory guidance 'Civil penalties under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and other housing legislation'. Failure to obtain an HMO licence starts at £17,000. The starting point is adjusted by 20% for 'Landlord Type': upward if the landlord has had 6 or more properties, 3 or more HMOs, is (or was) a corporate landlord or director, or has significant experience; downward only if the landlord has had at most 2 properties and at most 1 HMO and has very limited experience. Mitigating and aggravating factors normally move the penalty by up to 20% each. There is a 15% discount for paying in full within the period in the final notice. Statutory maximums are £7,000 or £40,000 depending on the breach. The council's website policy page still links an older, undated enforcement policy with no Renters' Rights Act content.
Consultations
No consultation was recorded when we researched Redditch.
Not yet confirmed
These points were unresolved when we researched Redditch on 14 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.
- Not yet confirmed
No Article 4 direction for C3 to C4 (small HMO) changes was found on the council's site or the national planning data register, but neither source confirms there is none. Confirm with the planning policy team.
- Not yet confirmed
The HMO fee page is undated. Confirm the £163.90 per person fee applies for 2026/27; the council's 2026-27 licensing fees and charges schedule (https://www.redditchbc.gov.uk/media/wukkihct/rbc-2026-2027.pdf) lists no HMO fees.
- Not yet confirmed
The council's website policy page (private-sector-housing-enforcement-policy) still hosts the older enforcement policy; the June 2026 policy is published only in committee papers. Confirm the 2026 policy is in force and will be published on the website.
- Not yet confirmed
Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): the absence of an Article 4 direction (planning.data.gov.uk only); the absence of a selective or additional scheme (HMO pages and the Executive agendas of 9 June, 28 July and 8 September 2026 only; no web search was possible); and whether the undated £163.90 per person fee is the 2026/27 figure.
Landlord register
Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Redditch 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