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Update on proposals for a second scheme of selective licensing

The Council’s Executive Board agreed on the proposals for a second scheme of selective licensing in January 2023. The submission was sent to the Secretary of State in March 2023 for confirmation, and on 26 July 2023 the second scheme was confirmed and begun on 01 December 2023.

Apply for an individual property licence (Selective licence)

When do I apply for a new licence?

The second scheme of selective licensing started on 01 December 2023. If your licence has expired, you can apply now on the link above. If your licence has not expired yet you do not need to reapply until your licence expires, however you can apply before the licence expires.

If you wish to view the proposed designation and check if your property is within the proposed area, please click below,

or visit Nottingham Insight Mapping, under the ‘Housing and Property’ layers.

Selective Licensing scheme

Selective Licensing is a scheme that requires most private rented properties to be licensed. It means that houses need to be licensed where they have one or two tenants or a family living there.*

*Although the legislation refers to ‘houses’ this does cover a variety of housing types (for example flats); the scheme provides for the regulation of ‘houses’ as defined by section 99 of the Housing Act 2004. 

Second Selective Licensing Scheme

Licence Variation

If you have a licence in place already, but some details have changed, then you can apply for a licence variation below. Please be aware that licence holders cannot be changed.

For more information on licence variations, please click on the link below where more information can be found before applying. 

Licence Variation

What is a Selective Licence?

Selective Licensing is a licensing scheme for landlords who privately rent properties that meet the below criteria and fall within the designated areas for Selective Licensing.

Licences are for each property. A privately rented property could fall under the Selective Licensing scheme if there is:

  • One occupant
  • More than one occupant who form one household (e.g. a family) or;
  • Two unrelated individuals who form two households (e.g. two friends)

(where the property does not meet the above/ has more occupants; it is likely to fall under one of the other licensing scheme-see ‘other schemes’ below).

Designated area

The Selective Licensing scheme does not cover all areas of the city. It’s estimated to cover over 30,000 privately rented homes in a designated area. It's really important that you check if your property is in a designated area.

Some properties, such as those managed by Housing Associations and Nottingham City Housing Services properties, are exempt from licensing.

Other schemes

There are two other property licensing schemes in Nottingham affecting HMOs, Additional Licensing and Mandatory Licensing. If your property does not need a Selective Licence from 1 December 2023 it may still need one of these types of licences. If your property is already licensed under one of these schemes, you do not need the Selective Scheme.

What licensing means for tenants

If someone rents a home in Nottingham City the landlord probably needs a licence from 1 December 2023.

From 1 December 2023 Tenants in Nottingham should only be renting from a landlord who has a property licence or has applied for one. If you become aware of an unlicensed property that’s being rented out then you can report it.

Other Information

To report a landlord or unlicensed property

Fees

Fees for scheme starting on 1 December 2023’

Individual Property Licence Fees Accredited (Accredited with DASH, Unipol or ANUK) Non-accredited Less compliant*
Part A fee £219 £263 £263
Part B fee £446 £624 £970
Total licence fee £665 £887 £1,233
Block licence fees ** Accredited (Accredited with DASH, Unipol or ANUK) Non-accredited Less Compliant*
Part A fee £440 £440 £440
Part B fee £1,331 £2,244 £2,679
Block base total £1,771 £2,684 £3,119
Per dwelling Accredited Non-accredited Less Compliant *
Part A fee £145 £145 £145
Part B fee £367 £382 £387
Per dwelling total £512 £527 £532

* Less compliant fees may apply when certain criteria is met within the fee policy.

** Block licence applications may be applied for when criteria is met within the block licence policy.

Paper Application Fee(s) (additional fee to individual property licence fee above)
Application downloaded and printed from website £65
Requesting NCC to send application by post £35
Total for posting and processing paper application £100

Housing Licensing Fee Policy 2023

Accreditation can currently be obtained by landlords via the DASH scheme. Unipol and ANUK also offers a scheme. Both schemes provide accreditation for up to three years

If you are in the process of selling your property and it falls within the designated area you can apply for a temporary exemption notice (TEN).

You can only make an application if you are the owner or person in control of the property.

How long Does it Last

A temporary exemption notice lasts for three months. You can renew for an extra three months in special circumstances. If the property still needs a licence after this period, you must apply for a property licence straight away.

If you wish to apply for a temporary exemption, please download, complete and return the Temporary Exemption Request Form to selective.licensing@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

For more information on temporary exemptions please download documents below to read.

It is against the law for any landlord to rent out a property in designated Selective Licencing areas without a licence. We will work with other partner agencies across Nottingham to find unlicensed properties and take legal action.

Landlords with unlicensed rented properties can face a financial penalty notice of up to £30,000 or an unlimited fine from the court.​ You could also have control of your unlicensed properties taken away from you, and be ordered to repay up to 12 months rent to us or your tenants. 

To report a landlord or unlicensed property please click below

The 2nd licence scheme begun on 01 December 2023. The paper application form is available here. The paper application form will carry additional charges.

The Licence Holder Declaration is only required to be completed by the proposed licence holder if the applicant is different to the proposed licence holder. 

 

The 2nd licence scheme begun on 01 December 2023.

Please find below the following

You have a right to request any recorded information held by Nottingham City Council that is not personal information about yourself.

 Further information on how to make an FOI request can be found here.

 

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