Shared houses in Birmingham need to satisfy Birmingham City Council's licensing team as well as building regulations. We plan for both from the first survey, which avoids rework later.
We'll tell you plainly if a house in Birmingham isn't suited to the number of rooms you have in mind, and what it would take to make it work.
HMO rules in Birmingham City Council
| Rule | Birmingham City Council |
|---|---|
| Mandatory HMO licence (5+ people) | In force everywhere in England |
| Additional HMO licensing | In force Whole city, 5 June 2023 to 4 June 2028 |
| Selective licensing | In part of the area 25 of the city's 69 wards, 5 June 2023 to 4 June 2028 |
| Article 4 direction for small HMOs | In force Whole city, in force since 8 June 2020 |
Checked October 2026 against Birmingham City Council's HMO licensing page. Schemes change, so we confirm the position for your address before any work starts.
Birmingham City Council has an Article 4 direction across its whole area, so turning a family house in Birmingham into a small HMO needs planning permission. We check the planning history of the address as part of any licence work. Seven or more occupants always needs planning permission. Birmingham City Council also runs additional licensing across its whole area (until 4 June 2028), so smaller HMOs with three or four people from two or more households need a licence too.
How we handle HMO licence application work in Birmingham
Licensing rules for shared houses in Birmingham depend on the exact address. Mandatory licensing applies to every HMO with 5 or more occupiers, but additional or selective schemes can bring smaller houses into licensing too. We check which applies before preparing anything, so the application matches the scheme.
For landlords in Birmingham and across the West Midlands, we prepare the floor plan, collect the certificates and complete the council's form. We follow the application through to a decision, help with any draft conditions and keep a note of the renewal date.
- Licence holder, manager and fit and proper details prepared
- Gas, electrical, alarm and lighting certificates collated
- Check of mandatory, additional and selective licensing at the address
- Measured floor plan in the council's usual format
- Help with draft conditions, renewals and variations
Letting to students and sharers in Birmingham
If the house in Birmingham is let to students or sharers, up-to-date certificates, measured plans and a current fire risk assessment make any council inspection more straightforward, and they are usually asked for with a licence application.