Council licensing · West Midlands

Licensing in Warwick

Warwick has additional HMO licensing across the whole council area.

Researched 14 October 2026 · Independently checked 14 October 2026

Check a specific address in Warwick

We match the postcode to its ward and the schemes below.

Licensing, ward by ward

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Additional HMO licensing area17

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: Yes
Consultation: None open

Licensing schemes

Additional HMO licence
In force
Warwick District Council Designation for an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2023
Area
The entire Warwick district, as edged black on the map at Appendix A of the designation.
Runs
18 January 2024 to 16 January 2029
Fee
£1,092 for 5 years
Applications from 1 January 2026 (council fee sheet 'HMO Licence Fees & Charges from 1st January 2026'). The same table covers additional and mandatory licences. 3 to 5 occupants: Stage 1 £819 with the application plus Stage 2 £273 at draft licence stage (£1,092). 6 to 12: £948 plus £316 (£1,264). 13 to 20: £1,086 plus £362 (£1,448). 21 or more: £1,254 plus £418 (£1,672). An early-bird rate (£800 for 3 to 5, £926 for 6 to 12) applied only to applications 'duly made' by 14 March 2024 and has ended. Applicants who made a complete application in 2024 or 2025 may pay Stage 2 at that year's rate. Other charges: £80 if documents or the fee are not received within 14 days of a request, £158 for a renewal received after the old licence expires, and £33 per document for photocopying. Payment is online only. The council may grant a 2-year licence at the full 5-year fee where there has been enforcement action (for example an improvement notice, civil penalty, noise abatement or community protection notice, or breach of licence conditions).
Who needs one
All HMOs under section 254 of the Housing Act 2004, and all HMOs with a section 255 declaration in force, occupied by 3 or more persons forming 2 or more households and not already needing a mandatory licence. In practice this means 3 and 4 person HMOs, and flats in multiple occupation with 3 or more occupants in purpose-built blocks, including purpose-built student accommodation. Section 257 buildings (converted blocks of flats) are not covered, but individual flats in multiple occupation within them are.
Exemptions
Buildings described in Schedule 14 to the Housing Act 2004; HMOs under an interim or final management order; HMOs with a temporary exemption notice under section 62; HMOs that need a mandatory licence under section 55(2)(a).
Notes
This is Warwick's first additional licensing scheme. The consultation closed on 20 March 2023. Cabinet approved the scheme on 9 August 2023 and Council approved the fees on 26 September 2023. The designation was made on 9 October 2023 under the 2015 general approval and came into force on 18 January 2024. The designation 'shall cease to have effect on 17th January 2029 or earlier if the Council revokes the scheme under Section 60 of the Act', so end_date is 16 January 2029, the last day in force. From that date every HMO in the district needs a licence, either mandatory or additional. Since 1 April 2021 the council's HMO Licensing and Planning Permission Policy means it will not process a new or renewal licence application where planning permission is needed but has not been obtained. The designation and the council's HMO page still quote a £30,000 maximum civil penalty.
Apply on the council site Licence conditions
Sources
Mandatory HMO licence
In force
Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Warwick District fees)
Area
The whole of Warwick district (national scheme).
Fee
£1,092 for 5 years
Fees from 1 January 2026. A new application for 3 to 5 occupants (this band includes 5-person mandatory HMOs) is £819 Stage 1 plus £273 Stage 2 (£1,092). 6 to 12: £1,264. 13 to 20: £1,448. 21 or more: £1,672. Renewals for mandatory licences, where the licence holder and owner are unchanged: 3 to 5 £635 plus £212 (£847); 6 to 12 £974; 13 to 20 £1,120; 21 or more £1,289. A late renewal adds £158. Variations and changes of manager are free. Fees are reviewed annually.
Who needs one
HMOs with 5 or more occupants forming 2 or more households.
Exemptions
Statutory exemptions under Schedule 14, Housing Act 2004.
Notes
This is the national scheme. Warwick publishes its own page and fees. Licence conditions were updated for licences issued from June 2025 (for example, fire extinguishers are no longer required by Private Sector Housing).
Apply on the council site Licence conditions
Sources

Article 4 for house shares

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

Area: Leamington Spa. The council's Article 4 page says the direction applies to the whole of Leamington Spa. Its FAQ page says it applies only in the six Leamington Spa wards of Brunswick, Clarendon, Crown, Manor, Milverton and Willes. It covers C3 to C4 changes of use made on or after 1 April 2012. Changing to an HMO for 7 or more occupants needs planning permission anywhere in the district.
Takes effect: 1 April 2012

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 Sector Housing Civil Penalties Policy, version 2.0 (May 2026), was approved by Cabinet on 10 June 2026 and published on 23 June 2026. It replaced the November 2017 version. It covers civil penalties under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and other housing legislation, with MHCLG statutory starting points and a statutory maximum of £40,000. A 20% Landlord Type adjustment goes up for landlords with 6 or more properties, 3 or more HMOs, corporate landlords or directors, or significant experience. It goes down only where all the small-landlord criteria are met. Failure to obtain an HMO licence (s.72(1)) starts at £17,000 (£13,600 down, £20,400 up). There is a 15% discount for paying in full within 28 days of the final notice. The council's HMO web page links this document but its text still says the maximum penalty is £30,000.

Warwick's civil penalty policy

Consultations

Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) public consultationApproved
Closed 20 March 2023

Not yet confirmed

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

Not yet confirmed
The Article 4 area is stated two ways on the council's site: 'the whole of Leamington Spa' on the main page and six named wards on the FAQ page. Confirm which applies, and against which ward boundaries.
Not yet confirmed
The additional licensing designation ceases to have effect on 17 January 2029 (last day in force 16 January 2029). No renewal proposal was found.
Not yet confirmed
No selective licensing scheme or proposal was found for Warwick district.
Not yet confirmed
Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): the 9 August 2023 Cabinet date, the 26 September 2023 Council fee approval and the 20 March 2023 consultation close (not checked against committee papers), and the absence of a selective scheme (council HMO pages and NRLA updates only; no wider web search was possible).

Landlord register

Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Warwick 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