What selective licensing usually means
Selective licensing schemes let councils require a licence for certain rented properties in designated areas, even where the property is not an HMO. That is why this question often comes up for landlords with single lets, flats, and standard buy-to-let homes.
The practical question is rarely just "is there a scheme in this council?". It is usually "does this specific property locationfall inside the council's current selective licensing boundary?".
Check a postcode for selective licensing
Enter a postcode to check whether a property may sit inside a selective licensing area.
If you are still comparing areas rather than checking a specific property, the selective licensing council directory view gives you a broader starting list of councils where our current data shows selective licensing.
What the checker can and cannot confirm
- ✓ Whether our current data shows an active selective licensing scheme for the council area
- ✓ Scheme names, fees, coverage type, and dates where we have them
- ✓ A direct link to the official council licensing page for verification
- ✗ Whether planning, building, or occupancy conditions create an exemption
- ✗ Whether the scheme has changed since our data was last updated
- ✗ The final licensing decision for a specific property — that must come from the council
Where people usually go wrong
A common mistake is assuming that if a council has a selective licensing scheme, every rented property in the borough automatically needs a licence. Some councils do run borough-wide schemes, but others only cover selected wards or custom designation areas.
Another common mistake is treating selective licensing as the only licensing question. A shared property may still need HMO licensing, so it can be worth comparing this page with the HMO checker.
Council pages for selective licensing
These councils show early search signals for selective licensing queries. Use them to see how schemes vary across local areas.
London Borough of Hackney
London
Detailed scheme records currently shown on this council page.
London Borough of Croydon
London
Detailed scheme records currently shown on this council page.
Tameside
North West
Detailed scheme records currently shown on this council page.