If the property is in Brownhills, the council that matters is Walsall Council. We look up its current schemes for the address and note any conditions it usually attaches to licences.
We'll tell you plainly if a house in Brownhills isn't suited to the arrangement you have in mind, and what it would take to make it work.
HMO rules in Walsall Council
| Rule | Walsall Council |
|---|---|
| Mandatory HMO licence (5+ people) | In force everywhere in England |
| Additional HMO licensing | In part of the area Nine wards: Palfrey, Paddock, Pleck and St Matthew's (to 31 August 2027), and Bentley and Darlaston North, Birchills Leamore, Blakenall, Darlaston South and Willenhall South (to 30 June 2028) |
| Selective licensing | None found |
| Article 4 direction for small HMOs | In force Whole borough, since 1 October 2025 |
Checked October 2026 against Walsall Council's HMO licensing page. Schemes change, so we confirm the position for your address before any work starts.
Walsall Council has an Article 4 direction across its whole area, so turning a family house in Brownhills into a small HMO needs planning permission. Before we take a house on, we check it has the planning status it needs. Seven or more occupants always needs planning permission. Walsall Council's additional licensing covers nine wards, including Palfrey, Paddock, Pleck, St Matthew's, Blakenall, Birchills Leamore, Darlaston South and Willenhall South, which doesn't include Brownhills, so the mandatory licence for five or more people is the main one to plan for there.
How we handle HMO maintenance work in Brownhills
Our maintenance team covers shared houses in Brownhills and across the West Midlands, carrying out planned work, repairs and void works. We log every report and agree a priority with the owner, so safety items such as fire doors, alarms and heating are dealt with ahead of routine jobs.
For HMOs in Brownhills, we keep fire alarm and emergency lighting test records, certificates and repair notes in one property file, ready if the local council inspects the house or asks for evidence that the licence conditions are being met.
- Planned maintenance schedule built around each house
- Gas Safe engineers and qualified electricians for safety work
- Communal area cleaning coordinated and checked
- Void works between tenancies
- Fire alarm and emergency lighting test records