Selective Licensing

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,

• Click link to view the proposed designation and check if your property is within the proposed area

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

• Click here to visit Nottingham Insight Mapping

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. 

• Click here to see more information on the legislation (legislation.gov.uk) Webpage

Second Selective Licensing Scheme

• Second Selective licensing Scheme Nottingham Approval Letter
• Sealed Designation
• Selective Licensing 2 Press Release
• Selective Licensing 2 Public Notice 2023

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.

• You can check to see if your property is in a designated area by visiting MyProperty NCC Webpage

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.

• Click here to see if your property needs a licence Page 
• Click here For information on HMOs and licensing Webpage

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

• What to expect during your tenancy

To report a landlord or unlicensed property