Council licensing · West Midlands

Licensing in Wyre Forest

Wyre Forest has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

Researched 14 October 2026 · Independently checked 14 October 2026

Check a specific address in Wyre Forest

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 only12

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 forceMedium confidence
Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Wyre Forest fees)
Area
The whole of Wyre Forest District (national scheme).
Fee
£880
The council's HMO page says the licence fee 'is currently set at £880.00'. It is paid only when the council confirms the application is complete. If the application is incomplete and the council has to ask for more information, a further £280 is payable, making £1,160 in total. Payment is online or by cheque. The page dates from the October 2018 changes and does not show a fee year. The April 2018 HMO policy says fees are reviewed annually and published in the council's fees and charges.
Who needs one
A property lived in by five or more people forming two or more separate households who share facilities such as a bathroom or kitchen.
Exemptions
The council's HMO page lists: properties managed or controlled by a local housing authority, registered social landlord or certain other public bodies; properties regulated under other enactments such as children's homes, care homes and bail hostels; student accommodation managed by a specified education establishment under an approved code of practice; religious communities (not s.257 HMOs); a resident landlord with family and no more than 2 unrelated persons; and properties occupied by only two persons who each form a separate household.
Notes
This is the national scheme. Wyre Forest publishes its own page and fee. There is no online application; landlords must ring the Private Sector Housing Team (01562 732190) for a form. The council aims to issue a licence within 21 working days of a complete application. The HMO policy (April 2018), section 7, says 'the current circumstances in the District do not warrant' selective or additional licensing and that this will be kept under review. No selective or additional scheme, or proposal, was found. The HMO page still quotes a £30,000 maximum financial penalty, although the council's 2026 enforcement policy uses the Renters' Rights Act £40,000 maximum. Council news (December 2025) reported 25 licensed HMOs in Kidderminster and 27 in the district.
Sources

Article 4 for house shares

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

Area: All wards of Kidderminster, as shown on the map attached to the direction. It is not yet in force: the non-immediate direction was made on 20 February 2026 and confirmed on 1 July 2026 (Cabinet decision 10 June 2026), and it takes effect on 20 February 2027. Until then, a C3 to C4 change of use in Kidderminster is still permitted development. Changing to an HMO for seven or more residents already needs planning permission.
Takes effect: 20 February 2027

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.

Housing Enforcement Policy 2026 (last updated June 2026). Civil penalties are the council's normal approach rather than prosecution, unless the public interest warrants prosecution (for example, to obtain a banning order). Appendix 1, 'Civil penalties under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and other housing legislation', uses the MHCLG statutory starting points with a statutory maximum of £40,000 for offences and £7,000 for breaches. A 20% landlord-type adjustment applies. Failure to obtain an HMO licence (s.72(1)) starts at £17,000 (£13,600 down, £20,400 up). Mitigating or aggravating factors normally move the penalty by up to 20%. There is a 15% discount for paying in full within 28 days of the final notice. The council will usually apply for a rent repayment order where public funds were paid to a landlord who committed a qualifying offence.

Wyre Forest's civil penalty policy

Consultations

No consultation was recorded when we researched Wyre Forest.

Not yet confirmed

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

Not yet confirmed
The £880 HMO licence fee is shown without a date and the page text dates from 2018. No 2026-27 fees and charges schedule was found. Confirm the current fee with the council (privatesectorhousing@wyreforestdc.gov.uk).
Not yet confirmed
The licence length is not stated on the council's HMO page (the HMO policy refers to costs over a 5-year period).
Not yet confirmed
The Kidderminster Article 4 direction takes effect on 20 February 2027. Check the boundary map attached to the confirmed direction for streets on the edge of Kidderminster.
Not yet confirmed
Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): the date of the £880 fee, which the HMO page does not show, and scheme absence beyond the 2018 HMO policy and NRLA updates (no wider web search was possible).

Landlord register

Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Wyre Forest 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