If you let an ordinary house or flat inside Nottingham City Council's selective licensing area, you need a licence for it: not because of the property's condition, but because of where it stands. The council charges an application fee under its published fee policy and a licence generally lasts five years. Two miles away, outside the City boundary, the same house may need no local licence at all.
Does my property need one?
The council's schemes have run since 1 December 2023 and apply in designated areas of the City only. The question is which council governs your address, not what the address says: Wollaton, Bilborough, Bulwell, Clifton, Lenton, Dunkirk, the city centre and parts of Sherwood and Mapperley sit inside Nottingham City; West Bridgford is in Rushcliffe, which runs no selective scheme; Beeston is in Broxtowe, Arnold in Gedling, Hucknall in Ashfield. Our Areas we cover page maps every area to its council, and boundaries run through streets, so check the address rather than the district name.
The council charges its own application fee, paid in two parts, and publishes the current figure in its fee policy. We confirm the fee for your address before anything is submitted, and where you accredit as a landlord the council charges less.
A licence generally lasts five years, carries conditions on management, safety records and tenancy relations, and the holder must normally reside in the UK or be a UK registered company, which is why our overseas clients use the licence holding built into Overseas landlord management.
What happens if you let without one
Letting a licensable property without a licence is an offence prosecuted or met with a civil penalty, and Nottingham's enforcement policy uses starting points around £12,000 for an unlicensed selective property. A rent repayment order can hand back up to two years of rent under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, and you cannot obtain possession on the main grounds while unlicensed. The licence is cheaper.
We prepare and submit licence applications for landlords at £240 including any VAT, with the council's own fee paid in addition, and handling the licence is part of the service on our managed tiers. The full price list is on Landlord services and fees. Anything here is general information rather than advice on a particular property; the schemes are consulted on and changed, and we confirm the current position with the council before you rely on it.
