Additional licensing
A council scheme that requires licences for smaller HMOs, below the mandatory threshold, in a designated area.
In short: Additional licensing lets a council require a licence for HMOs that fall outside mandatory licensing, such as three or four sharers, in all or part of its area. It is made under section 56 of the Housing Act 2004 and can last up to five years. Whether it applies depends on the council.
England. Checked against the law on 5 October 2026. Information, not legal advice.
Councils introduce additional licensing where they find that a significant share of smaller HMOs are poorly managed. The rules are local:
- the area covered (the whole borough or certain wards);
- which HMOs are included;
- the fee and the conditions.
To find out, check the council's website for "additional licensing" or ask its private housing team, and look at the scheme's map and start date. The same penalties apply as for mandatory licensing: prosecution or a civil penalty, and rent repayment orders.
It sits alongside selective licensing, which covers single-household lets in a designated area.
Related: House in multiple occupation (HMO), Mandatory HMO licensing, Selective licensing
Where this comes from
Guides on this
Guide
Do I need a licence to let my property? HMO, additional and selective licensing
Five or more people from two or more households need a mandatory HMO licence. Your council may also license smaller HMOs, or every let in an area. How to check, and what happens without one.
Guide
The landlord database and ombudsman: when you must register
The Private Rented Sector Database opens region by region from 15 December 2026, and the landlord ombudsman follows. Every landlord in England will need an entry for each property before letting or advertising it.
Related terms
Glossary
Civil penalty
A fine a council can impose on a landlord or agent instead of prosecuting, for breaches of housing law such as letting an unlicensed HMO or ignoring an improvement notice.
Glossary
House in multiple occupation (HMO)
A home let to three or more people who form more than one household and share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. HMOs have extra safety rules and often need a licence.
Glossary
Mandatory HMO licensing
The national rule that any HMO occupied by five or more people forming two or more households needs a licence from the council.
Glossary
Private Rented Sector Database (PRS Database)
The national register every private landlord in England, and each home they let, must join. It opens by region from 15 December 2026; all by 14 November 2027.
Glossary
Rent repayment order (RRO)
An order of the First-tier Tribunal that a landlord repay rent to a tenant, or benefits to the council, because the landlord committed certain housing offences.
Glossary
Selective licensing
A council scheme requiring a licence for privately rented homes in a designated area, including homes let to a single household.