The PRS database in the West Midlands: dates, deadline and licensing
The West Midlands is the first region in England where landlords must register on the PRS database. Registration opens on 15 December 2026, and every rented property in the region needs an entry by 14 March 2027.
On this page
- When do you have to register in the West Midlands?
- Which councils are in the West Midlands region?
- Which West Midlands councils run selective or additional licensing?
- Do any West Midlands licensing schemes start or end during the registration window?
- What happened to additional licensing in Telford and Wrekin?
- What should letting agents in the West Midlands do before 15 December?
- Where can you read each council’s licensing rules?
- How much does registration cost, and what do you need to provide?
- What’s changed
- Frequently asked questions
When do you have to register in the West Midlands?
Landlords in the West Midlands must register each rented property between 15 December 2026 and 14 March 2027. The deadline depends on where the property is, not where the landlord or agent is based. A portfolio that spans more than one region has more than one deadline, set out in the national rollout table.
The window is 90 days and contains 61 working days once Christmas Day, the substitute Boxing Day bank holiday and New Year’s Day are taken out. The deadline falls on a Sunday, so Friday 12 March 2027 is the practical last working day for anything that needs a colleague, a landlord’s reply or a council’s answer.
The date to register by is the end of the three-month window the government publishes on the Housing Hub, after which councils in the region can begin enforcement. The draft Regulations fix when each region opens, not a date to register by. The dates were announced by the government (GOV.UK, 9 September 2026).
Which councils are in the West Midlands region?
The West Midlands region has 30 local authorities. The draft Regulations list the councils in each region (Schedule 1), by the council areas as they stood on 15 December 2026. It is wider than the seven councils of the West Midlands Combined Authority, and it includes Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, Herefordshire and the district councils of Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
| Area | Councils | Licensing beyond mandatory HMO |
|---|---|---|
| West Midlands metropolitan | Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, Wolverhampton | Birmingham, Coventry, Sandwell and Walsall. None in Dudley, Solihull and Wolverhampton |
| Unitary authorities | Herefordshire, Shropshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin | None live. Telford and Wrekin's additional scheme was revoked on 11 September 2026 and ceased to have effect on 15 September 2026 |
| Staffordshire districts | Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, Tamworth | East Staffordshire |
| Warwickshire districts | North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick | Warwick |
| Worcestershire districts | Bromsgrove, Malvern Hills, Redditch, Worcester, Wychavon, Wyre Forest | Worcester |
Which West Midlands councils run selective or additional licensing?
Seven of the West Midlands’ 30 local authorities run selective or additional licensing on Kamma’s data at 6 October 2026: Birmingham, Coventry, East Staffordshire, Sandwell, Walsall, Warwick and Worcester. Between them they hold 10 live schemes. The other 23 councils require a licence only for mandatory HMOs, which applies in every council.
Selective licensing covers most privately rented homes in a designated area. Additional licensing covers smaller HMOs that the national mandatory rule leaves out. Both matter for the database, because each registration records the property’s licence type and number (what that means for enforcement). Coverage below is as recorded in our data; check the council’s own map before relying on a specific street.
| Council | Scheme | Runs to | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | Selective | 4 June 2028 | 25 wards |
| Birmingham | Additional | 4 June 2028 | Whole council area |
| Coventry | Additional | 3 May 2030 | Whole council area |
| East Staffordshire | Selective | 11 September 2027 | Parts of 3 wards: Anglesey, Burton & Eton, Shobnall |
| Sandwell | Additional | 30 June 2027 | Parts of 2 wards: Greets Green and Lyng, West Bromwich Central |
| Sandwell | Additional | 30 September 2029 | Whole council area |
| Walsall | Additional | 31 August 2027 | 4 wards |
| Walsall | Additional | 30 June 2028 | 5 wards |
| Warwick | Additional | 17 January 2029 | Whole district |
| Worcester | Additional | 31 August 2030 | Whole council area |
Dates in bold are schemes that end within a year of the registration deadline.
Three of the seven councils of the West Midlands Combined Authority run no discretionary scheme at all: Dudley, Solihull and Wolverhampton. Agents there face the database without a licensing layer on top, apart from mandatory HMOs.
Do any West Midlands licensing schemes start or end during the registration window?
Between 15 December 2026 and 14 March 2027, East Staffordshire’s new selective scheme starts on 1 January 2027. Three live schemes end within a year of the deadline: Sandwell’s on 30 June, Walsall’s on 31 August and East Staffordshire’s on 11 September. East Staffordshire already has a further designation of the same type in our data. Sandwell and Walsall have no further designation in our data, so agents there should confirm with each council what follows.
A licence is still needed while a scheme runs, and a council that wants to continue one must consult and designate again. Two councils have consulted recently. East Staffordshire’s consultation on selective licensing closed on 3 April 2026 and the council has since designated a new scheme, which starts on 1 January 2027 and runs to 31 December 2031 (East Staffordshire). Tamworth’s consultation on additional licensing closed on 20 August 2026 with no designation made so far (Tamworth). A consultation is not a scheme, and nothing here applies until a council designates.
| When | What | Council |
|---|---|---|
| 25 August to 15 September 2026 | Telford and Wrekin's additional licensing scheme is in force for 21 days, then revoked on 11 September 2026 and ceased to have effect on 15 September 2026 | Telford and Wrekin |
| 15 December 2026 | Registration opens | |
| 1 January 2027 | East Staffordshire's new selective scheme starts | East Staffordshire |
| 27 February 2027 | Telford and Wrekin's Article 4 Direction comes into force (a planning rule, not a licence) | Telford and Wrekin |
| 14 March 2027 | Registration deadline | |
| 30 June 2027 | Sandwell's additional scheme ends | Sandwell |
| 31 August 2027 | Walsall's additional scheme ends | Walsall |
| 11 September 2027 | East Staffordshire's selective scheme ends | East Staffordshire |
What happened to additional licensing in Telford and Wrekin?
Telford and Wrekin Council made an additional licensing designation for smaller HMOs on 14 May 2026, brought it into force on 25 August 2026 and revoked it on 11 September 2026. It ceased to have effect at 00:01 on 15 September 2026. The borough now has mandatory HMO licensing only, which applies to HMOs with five or more occupants forming two or more households (council HMO page).
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14 May 2026Designation made
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25 August 2026In force
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11 September 2026Revoked
-
15 September 2026Ceased to have effect
The council said on 15 September 2026 that it had paused the process until next year after a legal challenge by landlords, and that it will review the position in 2027 (council statement). The same statement says the region’s December registration “will provide further intelligence to ensure stronger protection and greater confidence for renters”. It does not mention licensing, and it describes the register in general terms. That the register will help the council find unlicensed HMOs is our reading and not the council’s claim.
The council’s Article 4 Direction is a separate matter. From 27 February 2027, a change of use from a dwelling to a small HMO needs planning permission. That controls where HMOs can be created. It does not create a licence requirement.
What should letting agents in the West Midlands do before 15 December?
Work out which of your managed properties sit inside a live licensing scheme, and gather each licence number before your landlords are asked for it. Each registration asks for licence type and number under a false-information warning, so a missing or wrong licence record becomes a problem at the point of declaration. Licensing offences on or after 1 May 2026 carry civil penalties of up to £40,000 (Housing Act 2004, s.249A) and rent repayment orders of up to 24 months’ rent.
- Match every managed address to the seven councils above and flag those inside a scheme’s wards
- Record licence numbers and end dates, starting with Sandwell, Walsall and East Staffordshire, whose schemes end within a year of the deadline
- Confirm what Dudley, Solihull and Wolverhampton properties need: mandatory HMO licences only
- Plan the entry work around the Christmas weeks, using the workload calculator
- Read what you need to gather before invitations start arriving
For the agent’s role in the process, see what a letting agent can and cannot do on the PRS database.
Where can you read each council's licensing rules?
Kamma publishes a licensing guide for nine West Midlands councils: the seven with live schemes, plus Telford and Wrekin and Tamworth, where schemes were recently made or consulted on. Each guide sets out the scheme, wards covered, fees and how to apply.
How much does registration cost, and what do you need to provide?
Registration costs £65 per property per year, and each entry asks for landlord, property, tenancy and compliance details. The full answers sit in the national guides, so they are not repeated here: see how much the PRS database costs and which information registration asks for.
What's changed
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Page published. Licensing data checked against council sources on 6 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
The region has 30 local authorities, as listed in Schedule 1 of the draft Regulations. That includes Birmingham, Coventry and the other metropolitan councils, and also Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, Herefordshire and the district councils of Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. A property’s council decides its region.
Registration asks for the licence type the property needs. In Telford and Wrekin that currently means a mandatory HMO licence for HMOs of five or more people forming two or more households, or none. The additional scheme that applied from 25 August to 15 September 2026 was revoked on 11 September 2026 and ceased to have effect on 15 September 2026. Check the council’s page on the day you submit.
Yes, on the dates we hold. Between 15 December 2026 and 14 March 2027, East Staffordshire’s new selective scheme starts on 1 January 2027. A council can designate a new one at any time and must give notice first. Keep your entry up to date if a property becomes licensable.
No. The service opens on 15 December 2026 for the West Midlands. The national guide covers early registration and the full rollout.
Find out which of your West Midlands properties are licensable before 15 December.
Get the licensing gaps in your portfolio before your region’s deadline.
