If the property is in Edgbaston, the council that matters is Birmingham City Council. We look up its current schemes for the address and note any conditions it usually attaches to licences.
Because we also build and repair HMOs, problems found at an inspection can be priced and fixed by the same team.
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 Edgbaston 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. 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.
HMO maintenance and repairs for Edgbaston landlords
Our maintenance team covers shared houses in Edgbaston 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 Edgbaston, 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
- Reactive repairs logged and given an agreed priority
- Communal area cleaning coordinated and checked
- Gas Safe engineers and qualified electricians for safety work
- Fire alarm and emergency lighting test records
Letting to students and sharers in Edgbaston
Student lets in Edgbaston often follow the academic year. Since 1 May 2026, Ground 4A can let a landlord of a student HMO seek possession for the summer, but only if every condition is met, including: each tenant is, or is reasonably expected to become, a full-time student; written notice was given before signing; the tenancy was signed no more than six months before move-in; the timing condition is met; and the landlord intends to re-let to students.
HMO maintenance and repairs near Edgbaston
- Harborne 1.5 miles
- Moseley 1.8 miles
- Selly Oak 1.8 miles
- Bournbrook 1.8 miles
- Birmingham 2.5 miles
- Handsworth 3.2 miles
