Council licensing · West Midlands

Licensing in Rugby

Rugby has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

Researched 14 October 2026 · Independently checked 14 October 2026

Check a specific address in Rugby

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 only16

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 force
Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Rugby fees)
Area
The whole borough (national scheme).
Fee
£1,362 for 5 years
Fees and Charges Schedule 2026-27 (unchanged from 2025-26): £1,362 for 1 to 6 occupants, £1,556 for 7 to 11 occupants, £1,694 for 12 or more; renewal £1,177; variation £216.40; copy of licence £35.90; DBS check £50. A surcharge of £934.20 is added where the landlord is found to be running an unlicensed HMO (the HMO licence web page still says £900). The fee covers a non-refundable administration part and a regulation part that is refunded if the application fails. All VAT exempt.
Who needs one
HMOs rented to 5 or more tenants forming 2 or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet.
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. Tacit consent does not apply: a licensable HMO must not be let until the licence is granted. All HMOs must meet the council's standards of amenities. The register of licensed HMOs can be viewed by arrangement. A council news item (January 2025) says about 2,500 residents live in HMOs. Separately, the Article 4 direction in five central wards means converting a family home to a small HMO there needs planning permission.
Apply on the council site
Sources

Article 4 for house shares

Rugby 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: the five central wards of Benn, Coton and Boughton, Eastlands, New Bilton, and Newbold and Brownsover. It removes the Class L permitted development right for C3 (dwelling house) to C4 (small HMO) changes. The direction was made on 21 February 2024 and confirmed on 25 September 2024.
Takes effect: 23 February 2025

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 published Private Sector Housing Civil Penalties Policy is dated July 2019 (file name) and states a £30,000 maximum; the council says it consulted the other Warwickshire councils for consistency. Failure to licence an HMO (s.72(1)) or a Part 3 house (s.95(1)) starts at £10,000, rising to £30,000 for a second offence by the same person or company; breach of licence conditions is £5,000 per breach. Premiums apply to improvement notice offences (e.g. +£2,500 each for high culpability, a portfolio of 10+ units, multiple serious hazards, or a vulnerable occupant), and there is a 50% reduction where the offender's income is under £440 a week. No single penalty may exceed £30,000. The council's Renters' Rights Act guidance page mentions fines of up to £7,000 for not issuing the information sheet, but no updated civil penalty policy was found.

Rugby's civil penalty policy

Consultations

No consultation was recorded when we researched Rugby.

Not yet confirmed

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

Not yet confirmed
No Renters' Rights Act 2025 civil penalty policy was found on the council's site; the July 2019 policy (max £30,000) is still the one published. Confirm whether the council has adopted an updated policy using the statutory guidance and the £40,000 maximum.
Not yet confirmed
No council proposal for additional or selective licensing was found. Confirm none is planned.
Not yet confirmed
The HMO licence page says the unlicensed-HMO surcharge is £900 but the 2026-27 fees schedule says £934.20. Confirm which applies.
Not yet confirmed
Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): Cabinet papers, for an adopted Renters' Rights Act civil penalty policy or a licensing proposal, because rugby.moderngov.co.uk blocks automated access; scheme absence rests on the council's own pages and site search, and no web search was possible.

Landlord register

Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Rugby 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