How do I check if a property is in a selective licensing area?

Enter the postcode in the checker above. For the 25 councils we hold, it says whether a selective or additional licensing scheme applies, may apply or doesn’t cover the address, and when the scheme ends. For any other council it says “Not checked”, never “no scheme”: search the council’s website for “selective licensing”, where every scheme is published with a map or a list of the areas it covers.

What if the checker says “Not checked”?

We don’t hold that council’s schemes, or our record of them is more than four months old, so we haven’t relied on it. It isn’t a result either way. Search the council’s website for “selective licensing” and “additional licensing”, or ask the letting agent whether the home needs a licence and for its number.

What should I ask the letting agent about a licence?

Ask whether the home needs a licence, and if it does, for the licence number, the name of the licence holder, the expiry date and the maximum number of people allowed to live there. Then check those details on the council’s register. If the agent says a licence has been applied for, ask when: a landlord with a valid application in progress isn’t committing an offence.

How long does a selective licensing scheme last?

Up to five years from the day it comes into force. A council can end a scheme early after reviewing it, and can bring in a new one when it ends, which it must consult on again. So check the dates, not just whether a council has a scheme.

Does the checker tell me whether a home has a licence?

No. It tells you whether a scheme covers the area, and so whether the home is likely to need a licence. To see whether a particular home has one, ask the landlord or agent for the licence number and check it on the council’s public register.

What does “may apply” mean?

Some schemes are drawn on a map, on lists of streets, or on parts of wards, which can’t be matched to a postcode with certainty. Rather than guess, the checker says the scheme may apply, so check the council’s map.

What if my landlord needs a selective licence and doesn’t have one?

Letting a home that needs a licence without one is an offence. The council can prosecute or impose a civil penalty of up to £40,000, and you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a rent repayment order: up to 24 months of rent for an offence from 1 May 2026, and up to 12 months before then.

Do I need to do anything if my home is in a selective licensing area?

No. Licensing is the landlord’s responsibility, not yours. But it is worth asking for the licence number before you sign, checking it on the council’s register, and knowing that the council can act if the landlord breaks the licence conditions.

Free tool

Property licence checker: selective licensing by postcode

Enter the postcode of a rented home and we’ll tell you whether a council’s selective or additional licensing scheme covers it, and until when. We hold the schemes of 25 councils in England, read from their own designation documents. For any other council the checker says so and points you to the council, rather than guessing.

England · Schemes last checked 12 October 2026 · Guidance checked September 2026

What the result means, and what to do next

Applies to this address: A scheme in force covers the whole council area or the ward the postcode is in, and the result says until when. Next: ask the agent for the licence number and check it on the council’s register before you pay anything.
May apply: A scheme covers part of the area, drawn on a map, a street list or old ward boundaries, so a postcode can’t place the home inside or outside it. Next: open the council’s map or street list from the result, and ask the agent whether the home is licensed.
No scheme identified: None of the council’s schemes we hold covers the postcode on the day you check. If a new scheme has been designated but hasn’t started, the result says so. Next: ask the agent anyway, since councils change schemes. A shared house of five or more people from different households still needs an HMO licence.
Not checked: We don’t hold the council’s schemes, our record is out of date, or the postcode lookup failed. It is not a “no”. Next: search the council’s website for “selective licensing”, or ask the agent whether the home needs a licence.

Each answer is about the area, not the home. The checker never says a home is licensed or unlicensed, and mandatory HMO licensing applies everywhere in England whatever it shows.

Which councils we cover, and how current it is

We hold the selective and additional licensing schemes of 25 councils: 15 London boroughs and 10 councils outside London. Each scheme is read by hand from the council’s designation, including its start and end dates and the wards or streets it covers, and the records were last checked on 12 October 2026. We re-check every council at least every 4 months. If a council’s record gets older than that, the checker stops relying on it and says “Not checked”.

London

Outside London

Each council’s page lists its schemes, the areas they cover and when they end. A renting guide adds the city’s average rents and the neighbourhoods its schemes cover.

England has over 300 councils, and many more run schemes than we hold. For a postcode anywhere else, the checker names the council and says it hasn’t checked it. That is not a “no”: search the council’s website for “selective licensing” and “additional licensing”, or ask the agent.

Before you sign: what to ask the agent

Whatever the checker says, these questions take a minute, and the answers can be checked.

Does the home need a licence from the council? Which kind: mandatory HMO, additional or selective?
What is the licence number, and who is the licence holder?
When does the licence expire?
How many people and households does the licence allow? Does that fit the number who will live here?
If there’s no licence yet, has the landlord applied, and when?

Then check the answers on the council’s register. Every council must keep a register of the licences it has granted and let the public inspect it, and many publish theirs online. Where the checker shows a scheme, it links to the council’s page and, where there is one online, its register. If the agent says a licence has been applied for, ask when: a landlord with a valid application in progress isn’t committing an offence. The tenancy agreement checker compares your agreement with the licensing schemes, and how to find the landlord explains what to do if the name on the licence isn’t the one you were given.

The three kinds of licence

Mandatory HMO licence: Required across England for a house in multiple occupation let to five or more people forming more than one household who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet.
Additional HMO licence: A council can extend licensing to smaller HMOs in some or all of its area, typically where three or four sharers are common.
Selective licence: A council can require a licence for every private rented home in a designated area, whether or not it is shared.

Why it matters to you

A licence sets conditions on the property, including fire safety, amenities and the maximum number of occupants.
Letting a licensable property without a licence is an offence. The council can issue a civil penalty or prosecute.
Tenants of an unlicensed licensable property can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a rent repayment order: up to 24 months of rent for an offence from 1 May 2026, and up to 12 months before then.
Tenants of a licensed home can see the conditions on the council’s register, and report a landlord who breaks them.

How to check it yourself today

Find the local authority. The free property check tells you which council covers the address.
Search that council for its public register. Every council in England must keep a register of the licences it grants, open to the public, and many publish it online.
Check the designated areas. Councils publish maps of additional and selective licensing designations, which change over time.
Ask the landlord or agent directly. A licensed landlord will have the licence number, its expiry date and the permitted occupancy.

Complete RenterCheck checks whether the home is on the council’s register of licensed HMOs, and, for the councils listed on our sources page, whether a selective or additional licensing scheme covers the address. Where a scheme is drawn on a map or on old ward boundaries, it says the scheme may apply rather than guessing. It doesn’t yet check each council’s register of selective licences: there are over 300 councils in England, each publishing differently, and a licensing answer that is confidently wrong is worse than no answer.

Check a property free

What is selective licensing?

Selective licensing lets a council require a licence for privately rented homes in a designated area, not just shared houses. A flat let to a couple, or a house let to a family, can need a selective licence. A home that needs an HMO licence doesn’t need a selective one as well, and homes let by housing associations are exempt. Every licence comes with conditions: the landlord must give the council a gas safety certificate each year, keep the electrics safe, fit smoke alarms and, where needed, carbon monoxide alarms, give tenants a written statement of their terms, and take references from new tenants.

Which councils run schemes, and why

Any council in England can designate all or part of its area, and since December 2024 it no longer needs the government’s approval, however large the scheme. It needs a reason set out in law: low housing demand; significant and persistent antisocial behaviour that landlords aren’t tackling; or, where a high proportion of homes are privately rented, poor housing conditions, high levels of migration, high deprivation or high crime. It must consult for at least ten weeks first. Some schemes cover a whole borough, others a handful of wards.

The checker holds the schemes of the 25 councils listed under the tool, read from each council’s designation documents. For any other council, search its website for “selective licensing”. Our city renting guides also say which neighbourhoods are covered.

How long schemes last

A selective or additional licensing scheme lasts up to five years from the day it starts. A council can end one early after a review, or consult on a new one as it ends, and the new area is often different. That’s why the checker shows when each scheme ends, and flags one that has been designated but hasn’t started yet.

What it means for you as a renter

You don’t need to do anything: licensing is the landlord’s job. But a licence gives you a way to check the landlord and the home before you sign, and a remedy if the landlord ignores it. Ask for the licence number and check it on the council’s public register. If a home that needs a licence doesn’t have one, the landlord is committing an offence, and you may be able to claim back up to two years’ rent. Renting a room in a shared house? Read our guide to HMO licences, which covers the national rules for shared houses and what a licence requires.

How to use the checker

Enter the full postcode of the rented home. We find its council and ward.
For selective and additional licensing you’ll see Applies, May apply (the scheme is drawn in a way we can’t match to a postcode, so check the council’s map) or No scheme identified. If we don’t hold the council’s schemes, or our record of them is out of date, it says so rather than guessing.
Remember it checks the area, not the home. Mandatory HMO licensing applies everywhere, so a house shared by five or more people from different households needs a licence whatever the result.

Selective licensing check: common questions

How do I check if a property is in a selective licensing area?: Enter the postcode in the checker above. For the 25 councils we hold, it says whether a selective or additional licensing scheme applies, may apply or doesn’t cover the address, and when the scheme ends. For any other council it says “Not checked”, never “no scheme”: search the council’s website for “selective licensing”, where every scheme is published with a map or a list of the areas it covers.
What if the checker says “Not checked”?: We don’t hold that council’s schemes, or our record of them is more than four months old, so we haven’t relied on it. It isn’t a result either way. Search the council’s website for “selective licensing” and “additional licensing”, or ask the letting agent whether the home needs a licence and for its number.
What should I ask the letting agent about a licence?: Ask whether the home needs a licence, and if it does, for the licence number, the name of the licence holder, the expiry date and the maximum number of people allowed to live there. Then check those details on the council’s register. If the agent says a licence has been applied for, ask when: a landlord with a valid application in progress isn’t committing an offence.
What is selective licensing?: A council scheme that requires landlords to hold a licence for privately rented homes in a designated area, including homes let to a single person, a couple or a family. It sits alongside HMO licensing, which covers shared houses. Homes let by housing associations are exempt.
Why do councils introduce selective licensing?: To tackle problems in an area: low housing demand, significant and persistent antisocial behaviour, or, where a high proportion of homes are privately rented, poor housing conditions, high levels of migration, high deprivation or high crime. The council must consult for at least ten weeks before a scheme starts.
How long does a selective licensing scheme last?: Up to five years from the day it comes into force. A council can end a scheme early after reviewing it, and can bring in a new one when it ends, which it must consult on again. So check the dates, not just whether a council has a scheme.
Does the checker tell me whether a home has a licence?: No. It tells you whether a scheme covers the area, and so whether the home is likely to need a licence. To see whether a particular home has one, ask the landlord or agent for the licence number and check it on the council’s public register.
What does “may apply” mean?: Some schemes are drawn on a map, on lists of streets, or on parts of wards, which can’t be matched to a postcode with certainty. Rather than guess, the checker says the scheme may apply, so check the council’s map.
What if my landlord needs a selective licence and doesn’t have one?: Letting a home that needs a licence without one is an offence. The council can prosecute or impose a civil penalty of up to £40,000, and you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a rent repayment order: up to 24 months of rent for an offence from 1 May 2026, and up to 12 months before then.
Do I need to do anything if my home is in a selective licensing area?: No. Licensing is the landlord’s responsibility, not yours. But it is worth asking for the licence number before you sign, checking it on the council’s register, and knowing that the council can act if the landlord breaks the licence conditions.

Sources: Selective licensing: a guide for local authorities and the Renters’ Rights Act overview for tenants, on GOV.UK; the Housing Act 2004, section 79, section 80, section 84, section 95, section 232, section 249A and schedule 4; and section 44 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016, on legislation.gov.uk. This guide covers common private tenancies in England and is general information, not legal advice. Different rules apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to lodgers, social housing and some specialist accommodation.