Council licensing · West Midlands

Licensing in Walsall

Walsall has additional HMO licensing in 4 wards.

Researched 14 October 2026 · Independently checked 14 October 2026

Check a specific address in Walsall

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.

Check council map: area not fully drawn20

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

Selective licensing: None
Additional HMO licensing: Yes, 4 wards
Article 4 on house shares: Yes
Consultation: None open

Licensing schemes

Additional HMO licence
In forceMedium confidence
Walsall Additional HMO Licensing Scheme One (Palfrey, Paddock, Pleck and St Matthews wards)
Area
The four wards of Palfrey, Paddock, Pleck and St Matthews as listed on the council's additional licensing page (the December 2021 cabinet report spells the last one St Matthew's). The council publishes an interactive map (area shown in green) and a full list of streets in the Scheme One area.
4 wards, as named in the designation (pre-May 2026 wards. The Walsall (Electoral Changes) Order 2025 abolished the old wards at the May 2026 all-out election, so the scheme area follows the wards as they stood when Cabinet approved it in October 2021.):
Palfrey
Paddock
Pleck
St Matthews
Runs
1 September 2022 to 31 August 2027
Fee
£1,170 for 5 years
From the council's 'Additional licensing proposed fees 2023/24' schedule (updated April 2023). It is still the only additional-licensing fee schedule linked from the council page on 14 October 2026. Fees are paid in two stages. Non-accredited: £880 Stage 1 with the application plus £290 Stage 2 before the licence is granted, £1,170 in total. Accredited landlords (a member of MLAS, NRLA accreditation or another recognised national or regional scheme, not a single-council scheme): £700 plus £290, £990 in total. Renewal (no early-bird discount): £570 plus £250 (£820) non-accredited, or £455 plus £200 (£655) accredited. Each further HMO for the same landlord or manager gets £50 off the Stage 2 fee. If accreditation lapses during the scheme, a £100 charge applies. Refunds are limited to duplicate applications or properties found not to need a licence. The schedule says fees are expected to rise each financial year, but no later schedule is published.
Who needs one
HMOs in the four wards occupied by three or more tenants from more than one household that do not already need a mandatory HMO licence. The council's launch release describes these as properties let to three or four unrelated people.
Exemptions
Statutory exemptions apply (the council's release says 'subject to any statutory exemptions'). The council's HMO licensing page says private registered providers of social housing are exempt from HMO licensing.
Notes
Walsall's first additional licensing scheme. Cabinet approved it in October 2021 and it came into force on 1 September 2022 for five years. Its last day is 31 August 2027, so it ends within the next year, and no renewal consultation was found. Licences are normally for up to 5 years, but the council usually grants only 1 year where the application follows a council investigation or request, the property should have been licensed earlier, there is a history of poor management, or significant works are needed. A second scheme ('Scheme Two') never started. Cabinet approved it on 7 September 2022 for Bentley and Darlaston North, Birchills Leamore, Blakenall, Darlaston South and Willenhall South, to begin on 1 July 2023. By February 2024 the council page said that start date had been 'delayed' with a new date to be announced. That text was later removed, and the council's HMO licensing page now says only that the council is 'proposing' to extend the scheme to those wards. The Express & Star (31 July 2026) confirms the only scheme in place is Palfrey, St Matthew's, Paddock and Pleck. Some third-party guides wrongly say Scheme Two ran from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2026. Under the new May 2026 wards (Paddock; Palfrey & The Delves; Pleck; St Matthew's) the names are similar but the boundaries may differ, so use the council's street list to check an address. The council's licensing pages still quote a £30,000 maximum civil penalty.
Apply on the council site Licence conditions Designation or map
Sources
Mandatory HMO licence
In force
Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Walsall fees)
Area
The whole of Walsall borough (national scheme).
Fee
£1,240 for 5 years
Fees 'starting from 1 April 2023', as shown on the council's fees page on 14 October 2026. They are paid in two stages: the first with the application, and the second within 14 days of the council's request, before the final licence is issued (refunded if the licence is not granted). First application, non-accredited: 5 to 6 persons £930 plus £310 (£1,240); 7 to 8 £1,510; 9 to 14 £2,215; 15 to 19 £2,375; 20 to 24 £2,610; 25 to 29 £2,880; 30 £3,140; plus £80 per extra person. First application, accredited (NRLA or another recognised national or regional scheme): 5 to 6 £740 plus £250 (£990); 7 to 8 £1,265; 9 to 14 £1,825; 15 to 19 £2,035; 20 to 24 £2,245; 25 to 29 £2,470; 30 £2,695; plus £80 per extra person. In-time renewal: 5 to 6 persons £920 non-accredited or £680 accredited, plus £40 per extra person. A late or incomplete renewal pays the full application fee. Each further HMO for the same landlord or manager gets £70 off the second-stage fee. Variations are free.
Who needs one
HMOs occupied by five or more tenants from more than one household, anywhere in the borough.
Exemptions
The council says private registered providers of social housing are exempt. Other statutory exemptions under Schedule 14, Housing Act 2004 apply.
Notes
This is the national scheme. Walsall publishes its own page and fees. Licences last for up to 5 years and may be cut to 1 year (same criteria as the additional scheme, plus where required planning permission has not been obtained). Anyone providing food to tenants must register as a food business before the licence can be approved. The council aims to decide valid applications within 42 days.
Apply on the council site Licence conditions
Sources
- go.walsall.gov.uk: licensing houses multiple occupation
- go.walsall.gov.uk: hmo licensing fees and other charges

Article 4 for house shares

Walsall has an Article 4 direction on houses in multiple occupation. Turning a family home into a shared house may need planning permission.

Area: The whole council area
Takes effect: 1 October 2025

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 'Housing Standards Civil Penalty Policy', dated July 2026 (Appendix B), is published on the council's 'Enforcing standards in rented housing' page with the Housing Standards Enforcement Policy 2026 to 2031. It covers civil penalties under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and other housing legislation, using the MHCLG statutory starting points. A 20% 'Landlord Type' adjustment applies. It goes up if the landlord has had 6 or more properties or 3 or more HMOs, is a corporate landlord or director, or has significant experience. It goes down only if the landlord has had no more than 2 properties and no more than 1 HMO and has very limited experience. Failure to obtain an HMO licence (s.72(1)) starts at £17,000 (£13,600 down, £20,400 up), and the statutory maximum is £40,000. Mitigating and aggravating factors then apply. There is a 25% discount for paying in full by bank transfer within 28 days of the final notice. The enforcement page itself says penalties of up to £40,000 per offence, but the HMO licensing pages still say £30,000.

Walsall's civil penalty policy

Consultations

No consultation was recorded when we researched Walsall.

Not yet confirmed

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

Not yet confirmed
The formal section 56 designation and its public notice for Scheme One were not located on the council website or in the cabinet papers found on its CMIS committee system. Ward names and dates come from the council's licensing pages and its September 2022 news release. Confirm the designation wording, including whether section 257 HMOs are covered.
Not yet confirmed
Scheme Two (Bentley and Darlaston North, Birchills Leamore, Blakenall, Darlaston South, Willenhall South) was approved by Cabinet on 7 September 2022 but never brought into force. The council's HMO licensing page still says the council is 'proposing' to extend to these wards. Confirm whether the 2022 approval has lapsed or been rescinded.
Not yet confirmed
Express & Star (31 July 2026) reports councillors approved a motion to review all remaining wards for further additional licensing, starting with Willenhall, Darlaston South, and Bentley and Darlaston North, with officers to report back to Cabinet within eight weeks. No resulting cabinet report or consultation was found by 14 October 2026.
Not yet confirmed
Scheme One ends on 31 August 2027. No renewal proposal or consultation was found.
Not yet confirmed
The only published additional-licensing fee schedule is for 2023/24, and the mandatory fees are headed 'from 1 April 2023'. Confirm the current fees with the council (hmos@walsall.gov.uk, 01922 652171).
Not yet confirmed
Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): the 31 August 2027 end date, which comes from the council page's 'until 31 August 2027' because the s56 designation was not found (if the designation says it ceases to have effect on 31 August 2027, the last day in force would be 30 August 2027); the status of the 2022 Scheme Two approval and any follow-up to the July 2026 motion (the CMIS committee system could not be navigated; check the 28 October 2026 Cabinet agenda); and the absence of a selective scheme (no wider web search was possible).

Landlord register

Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Walsall 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