Council licensing · West Midlands

Licensing in Sandwell

Sandwell has additional HMO licensing across the whole council area.

Researched 14 October 2026 · Independently checked 14 October 2026

Check a specific address in Sandwell

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.

Additional HMO licensing area24

Additional HMO licensing also covers the whole council area.

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

Selective licensing: None
Additional HMO licensing: Yes, whole council area
Article 4 on house shares: None found
Consultation: None open

Licensing schemes

Additional HMO licence
In force
The Metropolitan Borough Council of Sandwell Designation for an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2024
Area
All wards within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, as delineated and edged red on the map at Appendix A of the designation.
Runs
1 October 2024 to 29 September 2029
Fee
£1,021
Additional licence fees are the same as mandatory HMO fees. The council's HMO fees page, headed 'HMO Licence fees from 1 April 2025 - 31 March 2026', shows a first application fee of £1,021, paid in two parts: £655 when the application is approved and £366 when the draft licence is issued. The renewal fee is £727.25 (£507.25 + £220). Discounts: £168.30 for MLAS membership or housing-management training/qualifications (initial application), £56.10 for NRLA or similar membership, and £56.10 for second and subsequent properties. The page says fees go up every 1 April; no 2026/27 figure was found. The first payment is not refunded if an application is rejected after it is paid.
Who needs one
Every privately rented HMO under section 254 of the Housing Act 2004 occupied by 3 or more people forming 2 or more households, whatever the number of storeys, plus section 257 HMOs (converted blocks of flats), unless the HMO already needs a mandatory licence. The council summarises it as any property with 3 or 4 people sharing amenities.
Exemptions
Buildings that are not HMOs under Schedule 14 (Appendix C: those managed by local housing authorities, registered providers, police, fire or NHS bodies, certain co-operatives, specified student accommodation, religious communities, owner-occupied buildings with limited lodgers, and buildings occupied by only two persons in two households); HMOs under an interim or final management order; HMOs with a temporary exemption notice (s.62); HMOs requiring a mandatory licence (s.55(2)(a)).
Notes
Cabinet approved the borough-wide scheme on 19 June 2024 after a 10-week consultation from 8 January to 18 March 2024. The designation was made on 19 June 2024 under the 2015 General Approval, so it did not need confirmation by the Secretary of State. It replaced the 2022 additional licensing scheme that covered part of West Bromwich, which was revoked with effect from 1 October 2024. The council says properties licensed under the West Bromwich scheme are licensed under the new scheme. The council's additional licensing page says the licence 'will be for the duration of the scheme', so it runs no later than the scheme's last day in force, 29 September 2029, and the council can shorten it if there are concerns. The designation says it 'will cease to have effect on the 30th September 2029 or earlier if the Council revokes the scheme under Section 60 of the Act', so end_date is 29 September 2029. Applications are made online through MySandwell. The designation and public notice still warn of a civil penalty of up to £30,000 for failing to licence; the council's July 2026 enforcement policy applies the Renters' Rights Act 2025 maximum of £40,000 to offences from 1 May 2026. The council also has a dedicated section 257 HMO policy page and will treat a converted building as a licensable s.257 HMO if the owner cannot produce a 1991 Building Regulations completion certificate.
Apply on the council site Licence conditions Designation or map
Sources
Mandatory HMO licence
In force
Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Sandwell fees)
Area
The whole borough (national scheme).
Fee
£1,021 for 5 years
Same fees as additional licensing: £1,021 for a first application (£655 + £366) and £727.25 for a renewal (£507.25 + £220), per the page headed 1 April 2025 - 31 March 2026. Discounts of £168.30 (MLAS or training), £56.10 (NRLA or similar) and £56.10 (second and subsequent properties).
Who needs one
HMOs occupied by 5 or more people forming 2 or more households and sharing amenities.
Exemptions
Statutory exemptions under Schedule 14, Housing Act 2004.
Notes
The council says a full licence is usually granted for 5 years, but can be 1 to 4 years if there are concerns. The application process has a 14-day fit and proper person consultation and a 14-day representation period after a draft licence is issued.
Apply on the council site Licence conditions
Sources

Article 4 for house shares

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

Council source

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 Rented Sector and Housing Standards Enforcement Policy was approved by Cabinet on 15 July 2026 and covers the Renters' Rights Act 2025. The approved PDF says it is effective from 15 July 2026; the Word version says 17 July 2026. It caps any single penalty at £40,000 (or £30,000 where the limit is lower). For offences on or after 1 May 2026 it uses the MHCLG statutory guidance starting points: unlicensed HMO (mandatory or additional) £17,000, unlicensed selective licensing property £12,000, failure to comply with an improvement notice £25,000, and breach of HMO licence conditions £7,000 per breach. A second offence by the same person or company goes to £40,000. Adjustments include +£10,000 where an occupant is vulnerable or significant harm occurred, and -50% for financial hardship. A penalty applies to each responsible person, so joint owners can each receive the full penalty. Several of the council's HMO web pages still say the maximum is £30,000, but the licence conditions page notes £40,000 from 1 May 2026.

Sandwell's civil penalty policy

Consultations

Additional licensing of HMOs borough wideApproved
Closed 18 March 2024

Not yet confirmed

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

Not yet confirmed
The fee page is headed 1 April 2025 - 31 March 2026 and says fees rise every 1 April. Confirm the 2026/27 fee with the council (the additional licensing page shows the same £1,021 under a 2024/25 heading).
Not yet confirmed
The licence term for additional licences is described as 'the duration of the scheme', but the HMO pages say licences usually last 5 years. Confirm whether additional licences granted now end when the designation ceases to have effect (last day in force 29 September 2029).
Not yet confirmed
Article 4 direction: confirm whether the Sandwell Local Plan has been adopted and when an Article 4 direction for C3 to C4 changes will be made and come into force. Until then, small HMOs do not need planning permission for the change of use.
Not yet confirmed
No selective licensing scheme was found on the council's site. A June 2019 Cabinet report (https://sandwell.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s3824/05a%20-%20APPENDIX%201%20-%204%20March%202019%20Cabinet%20Report%20on%20Selective%20and%20Additional%20Licensing.pdf) sought permission to consult on selective and additional licensing for an area of West Bromwich; the only West Bromwich scheme the council's site now mentions is the 2022 additional licensing designation, revoked from 1 October 2024. Confirm no selective scheme is planned.
Not yet confirmed
Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): a 2026/27 fee (both fee pages still carry 2024/25 or 2025/26 headings); the forward plan, because sandwell.moderngov.co.uk returns 403, so the absence of a selective scheme rests on the council's pages and its Consultation Hub (no web search was possible); and whether the July 2026 proposed amendment on the Article 4 direction (s35395) was carried.

Landlord register

Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Sandwell 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