Council licensing · West Midlands

Licensing in Stratford-on-Avon

Stratford-on-Avon has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

Researched 14 October 2026 · Independently checked 14 October 2026

Check a specific address in Stratford-on-Avon

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 only39

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: None found
Consultation: None open

Licensing schemes

Mandatory HMO licence
In force
Mandatory HMO licensing (Housing Act 2004 Part 2), Stratford-on-Avon District Council
Area
National scheme, applies across the whole of Stratford-on-Avon district.
Fee
£1,030 for 5 years
Fees & Charges 2026/27 (published 21 May 2026), 'HMO Inspection Fees'. New applications: 5 to 10 occupants £1,030.02; 11 to 15 £1,138.26; 16 to 20 £1,246.40; 21+ the 16-20 fee plus £112.44 per extra group of up to 10. Renewals: 5 to 10 £924.65; 11 to 15 £1,024.39; 16 to 20 £1,225.59; 21+ plus £112.44 per group of up to 10. Paid in two parts: Part A (75%, non-refundable) with the application and Part B (25%) once the licence is approved. Other charges: request for missing documents £91.33 per letter; late licence application after one reminder £172.82; 'Unlicensed HMO (Penalty)' £255.74.
Who needs one
HMOs with 5 or more people in 2 or more households sharing facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom. HMOs with 3 or 4 people in 2 or more households are unlicensed HMOs but still covered by HMO standards.
Notes
Included because the council publishes its own HMO licence fees. No selective or additional licensing scheme was found; the council's HMO pages (last updated 11 April 2024) describe only mandatory licensing. Applications use paper forms 1 to 8 with current gas, fixed wiring, PAT, fire alarm, emergency lighting, fire-fighting equipment and EPC certificates. The council sends a draft licence before issuing the formal licence. A licence normally runs for 5 years, is non-transferable, and must be revoked on sale. The application page says appeals go to the 'Upper Property Tribunal'.
Apply on the council site
Sources

Article 4 for house shares

We found no Article 4 direction on house shares in Stratford-on-Avon.

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.

No standalone civil penalty policy was found. The council publishes its civil penalty amounts in the Fees & Charges 2026/27 schedule under the Housing and Planning Act 2016, using a matrix shared with the West Midlands authorities, with figures uprated each year. The schedule says the amounts are under review after First-tier Tribunal challenges and does not refer to the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Failure to obtain an HMO licence (s72(1)) or a Part 3 licence (s95(1)): £12,774.58 for a first offence and £38,323.73 for a second and subsequent offence. Breach of licence conditions: £6,387.29 per breach. A 50% discount applies where the offender shows income below £440 a week. The council's separate Corporate Enforcement Policy (updated June 2026) is a general enforcement statement.

Stratford-on-Avon's civil penalty policy

Consultations

No consultation was recorded when we researched Stratford-on-Avon.

Not yet confirmed

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

Not yet confirmed
No civil penalty policy updated for the Renters' Rights Act 2025 (£40,000 maximum and new offences) was found; the fees schedule still uses the Housing and Planning Act 2016 matrix.
Not yet confirmed
The HMO pages were last updated on 11 April 2024 and do not publish standard licence conditions or exemptions.
Not yet confirmed
The application page names the 'Upper Property Tribunal' as the appeal route, while neighbouring councils' pages (for example Stafford and Telford) name the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). Confirm the correct appeal route with the council.
Not yet confirmed
No selective or additional licensing designation or consultation was found, but the council has not published a statement confirming there is none.
Not yet confirmed
Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): the absence of an HMO Article 4 direction (planning.data.gov.uk only; the council site search was not repeated), and the absence of a selective or additional scheme (council pages and NRLA updates only; no wider web search was possible).

Landlord register

Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Stratford-on-Avon 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