Liverpool Council Is Moving To Data-Led Enforcement
Property Licensing Guide for Liverpool
Liverpool currently operates selective licensing; mandatory HMO licensing applies everywhere. Last checked: 20 October 2026.
This free guide will provide you with the key details regarding what licensing requirements are necessary in this area and how to apply for a licence.
New to this? Read our overview: What is selective licensing?
Liverpool is in the North West registration window for the PRS database, which opens on 15 May 2027: see PRS database registration in the North West.
Liverpool Property Licensing Schemes
To check whether a Liverpool address is in the selective licensing area, use the postcode look-up on the council’s licensing pages. Licence holders pay in two parts, an initial payment on application and a final payment later.
Is manual compliance causing a headache for your agency? At Kamma, we specialise in automating licensing compliance for agents across the UK. If you need any assistance in getting your property portfolio compliant, find out how we can help letting agents here.
Not sure whether a Liverpool property needs a licence? Kamma's free checker covers selective, additional and HMO schemes.
Check a Liverpool property →What are the licensing requirements for Liverpool?
Mandatory licensing in Liverpool
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across Liverpool (and all of England) to larger HMOs. These are properties occupied by five or more people forming more than one household, including:
- Shared houses and flats occupied by students and young professionals.
- Properties converted into bedsits with some shared facilities.
- Properties converted into a mix of self-contained and non-self-contained accommodation.
Do I need an additional property licence in Liverpool?
Additional licensing requires smaller HMOs in a designated area to be licensed. That means a privately rented property with three or more people forming more than one household.
Liverpool does not currently operate an additional HMO licensing scheme; larger HMOs are covered by the national mandatory HMO scheme.
Do I need a selective licence in Liverpool?
Selective licensing requires almost all privately rented properties in a designated area to be licensed, regardless of the number of occupants.
Liverpool operates selective licensing. The current designation is set out below.
Liverpool ran a consultation on selective licensing, which closed on 5 October 2026. The scheme set out above is unchanged by it.
Selective licensing: 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2027, covering Anfield, Arundel, Broadgreen, Brownlow Hill, Canning, Church, City Centre North, City Centre South, Clubmoor West, County, Dingle, Edge Hill, Everton East, Everton North, Everton West, Fazakerley East, Fazakerley North, Fazakerley West, Festival Gardens, Greenbank Park, Kensington & Fairfield, Kirkdale East, Kirkdale West, Old Swan East, Old Swan West, Orrell Park, Penny Lane, Princes Park, Sefton Park, Smithdown, St Michaels, Stoneycroft, Toxteth, Tuebrook Breckside Park, Tuebrook Larkhill, Vauxhall, Walton, Waterfront North, Waterfront South, Wavertree Garden Suburb and Wavertree Village.
Mandatory HMO licensing: in force since 2006 for HMOs of five or more people forming more than one household.
How do I apply for a licence?
You can apply for a licence via Liverpool Council’s website here. Or let Kamma’s expert team process the application for you.
How much does a licence cost?
Licence fees
| Licence | Fee |
|---|---|
| Selective licence | £704 (Full property licence fee) |
| Mandatory HMO licence | £1,328 per property |
Fees as published by the council, verified 20 July 2026; subject to change. See the council’s fee page for full schedules, payment stages and discounts.
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Liverpool Property Licensing FAQs
What licensing schemes does Liverpool operate?
Liverpool City Council operates selective licensing in designated wards from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2027. Mandatory HMO licensing has applied in Liverpool since 2006 to HMOs of five or more people forming more than one household. Liverpool has no additional HMO licensing scheme.
Do all properties in Liverpool need a licence?
Not every property in Liverpool needs a licence. Under Liverpool’s selective licensing scheme, most privately rented homes in the designated wards need one between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2027. Outside those wards, only HMOs of five or more people forming more than one household need a mandatory licence.
What if my property doesn't have a licence?
Letting a Liverpool property that needs a licence without one can bring civil penalties of up to £40,000 per property for offences on or after 1 May 2026. The landlord also risks a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent. A letting agent who manages the property or collects the rent commits the offence too and can be fined separately.
Can letting agents apply on behalf of landlords?
Yes. Letting agents can apply for Liverpool selective and HMO licences on behalf of landlords, and many manage the full process. The council takes the full selective licence fee of £704 in two parts: £232.32 on application and £471.68 later.
How do I apply for a Liverpool property licence?
Apply through Liverpool City Council’s website. Selective licence applications and fees are on its selective licensing fees page, and HMO applications are on its HMO licence page. The full selective licence fee is £704, and an HMO licence for up to five units is £1,328. Kamma can also prepare and submit applications for letting agents.
Why did Liverpool introduce selective licensing?
Liverpool City Council’s 2020 consultation on selective licensing cited poor property conditions, low demand with many vacant properties, and deprivation. The council estimated over 16,700 category 1 and 2 health hazards in private sector homes. The scheme in force from 1 April 2022 followed that consultation.
Does Liverpool have additional HMO licensing?
No. Liverpool City Council does not operate an additional HMO licensing scheme. Mandatory HMO licensing applies to HMOs of five or more people forming more than one household, and has applied in Liverpool since 2006.
What are the conditions to obtain an HMO licence in Liverpool?
The council’s HMO licence conditions set standards for fire safety, amenities, room sizes and management (licence conditions).
About Liverpool
Liverpool’s selective licensing scheme began on 1 April 2022 and runs to 31 March 2027. The council says the designated area covers around 80% of the city’s private rental sector. In July 2026 the council reported more than 56,000 licence applications and over 48,000 licences granted since the scheme began.
The council consulted from 27 July to 5 October 2026 on three options for 2027 to 2032: all 64 wards, 29 wards chosen by deprivation, or 26 wards chosen by property conditions. As of 20 October 2026 we found no published decision.
Licensing Enforcement in Liverpool
Liverpool City Council describes its enforcement as licence conditions, property inspections, civil penalties and prosecution where necessary. Letting a property without the required licence risks prosecution and civil penalties of up to £40,000 per property. The landlord can also face a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent. Where a letting agent manages the property or collects the rent, the agent commits the offence too and can be fined in its own right.
Tracking licensing across a managed portfolio
A single Liverpool address can be checked by hand. An agency managing several hundred properties across Liverpool and the boroughs around it cannot work that way, and designations change often enough that a check made last quarter may no longer hold.
Kamma connects to the CRM your agency already works in and reads the address and tenancy fields a licensing determination depends on. The licensing position for each property then sits beside the record your team is already looking at.
Pages covering what Kamma reads from each system and how to connect it are available for Reapit, Street.co.uk, MRI Sales and Lettings, MRI Radar, Apex27, Acquaint CRM, Jupix, iamproperty, SME Professional, Rex Software, SleekTech. Alto and agentOS also integrate. The full list is on the CRM integrations page.
