Council licensing · West Midlands

Licensing in Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

Researched 14 October 2026 · Independently checked 14 October 2026

Check a specific address in Wolverhampton

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 only20

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, City of Wolverhampton fees)
Area
The whole City of Wolverhampton (national scheme).
Fee
£1,566
Two-part fee as shown on the council's HMO licence page (last updated 1 October 2026). Fee 1, for processing and determining an application for an HMO of up to 6 bedrooms, is £990, paid on submission. Fee 2, for running and enforcing the licence scheme, is £576, paid when the council is ready to grant. Total £1,566. Fee 1 add-ons: 7 to 10 bedrooms £35; 11 to 20 £97; 21 to 30 £160; 31 to 40 £223; 41 to 50 £286; £63 per further 10 bedrooms; £7 per disused room in the building; £28 for commercial areas. Other charges: £84 per request for missing or incomplete information, and £167 for a late application after an existing licence expires. The same form is used for new applications and renewals. No discounts are available. Fees are reviewed annually.
Who needs one
An HMO occupied by 5 or more persons (regardless of age) from 2 or more households, living there as their main or only residence and sharing facilities such as a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. The council says HMOs with 3 or 4 tenants from more than one household do not need a licence.
Notes
This is the national scheme. Wolverhampton publishes its own page and fees. Wolverhampton runs no additional or selective licensing scheme. The council's HMO page still quotes a civil penalty of up to £30,000 for failing to licence. Changing a house into a small HMO (3 to 6 people) has needed planning permission across the whole city since 14 September 2017 (Article 4).
Apply on the council site Licence conditions
Sources
- wolverhampton.gov.uk: house multiple occupation licence
- wolverhampton.gov.uk: private rented housing

Article 4 for house shares

Wolverhampton 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: 14 September 2017

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 'Housing Enforcement and Charging Policy' (Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy, file dated April 2020) is still the policy linked from the council's Private rented housing page (last updated 10 April 2026). It caps a civil penalty at £30,000 and sets an initial level by culpability and harm, then adjusts it for aggravating and mitigating factors. Initial levels: low culpability £2,500 to £7,500; medium culpability £5,000 to £15,000; high culpability £7,500 to £25,000 (high harm). Minimum levels after mitigation run from £1,250 to £12,500. The policy does not single out unlicensed HMOs. No Renters' Rights Act 2025 update, and no £40,000 maximum, was found on the council website.

Wolverhampton's civil penalty policy

Consultations

No consultation was recorded when we researched Wolverhampton.

Not yet confirmed

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

Not yet confirmed
A Find a Tender preliminary market engagement notice (published 10 October 2025, ref CWC25159) says the council is 'exploring the introduction of an Additional Licensing Scheme for smaller Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and a Selective Licensing Scheme for privately rented properties in designated areas'. It sought an external provider to run the statutory consultation, with an estimated contract from 5 December 2025 to 4 December 2026. No public consultation, proposed areas or cabinet decision was found on the council website or its Citizen Space hub by 14 October 2026. The council's moderngov committee site refused automated access. Check for a launch.
Not yet confirmed
No Renters' Rights Act 2025 civil penalty policy was found. The published 2020 policy still uses the £30,000 maximum.
Not yet confirmed
The HMO licence page does not state how long licences are granted for.
Not yet confirmed
Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): whether a Cabinet report on additional or selective licensing exists (the moderngov forward plan returns 403 and the Find a Tender notice was not re-fetched); whether a Renters' Rights Act civil penalty policy has been adopted (none was found on the council's pages); and scheme absence beyond the council's pages and NRLA updates (no wider web search was possible).

Landlord register

Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Wolverhampton 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