Property Licence

Council licensing report

Landlord licensing in Leicester

Leicester runs at least one local property licensing scheme. Some rules apply to the whole council. Others apply only to listed streets, wards, or mapped areas, so the postcode alone does not always give a yes-or-no answer.

What landlords need to know

Status

Leicester

Selective
Mandatory HMO (national)
Selective licensing
1 active
Additional HMO licensing
None listed
Mandatory HMO licensing
Applies nationally
Local scheme coverage
Listed streets or areas
Active local schemes
1 active scheme
Last checked
22 May 2026

Check a postcode and address in Leicester

Enter the postcode to confirm the council, then pick the address. If a scheme uses a street list, we check the selected street against it and give a direct yes or no.

Local schemes in Leicester

Leicester selective licensing 2022 to 2027

Selective licensing · active · Listed wards · 10 Oct 2022 to 9 Oct 2027

Coverage
Listed wards
Fee
£1,290

Leicester selective licensing applies to privately rented homes, including small HMOs, in designated parts of Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields, Fosse, Westcotes, Stoneygate and Saffron wards.

Show the 5 wards covered by this scheme

Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields, Fosse, Saffron, Stoneygate, Westcotes.

Read more about Leicester selective licensing

How each scheme is scoped in Leicester

A property licensing scheme is not the same everywhere. A council can designate the whole borough, a handful of wards, a list of streets, or a boundary drawn on a map. Whichever option Leicester chose changes how confident you can be from the postcode alone.

Leicester selective licensing 2022 to 2027

This scheme covers 5 named wards. The postcode confirms the council, but the address has to fall inside one of those wards before the licence applies.

Common rental setups in Leicester

The right licence depends on who lives in the property, how the household is structured, and where the property sits in the council area. These are the situations we see most often, with what Leicester's current rules say about each.

Single tenant in a flat or studio

Licence needed

One adult renting a self-contained flat or a studio with their own kitchen and bathroom.

May need a selective licence if the address sits inside Leicester's designated scheme area.

Couple renting a whole house

Licence needed

Two people from one household renting an entire house on one tenancy.

May need a selective licence if the address sits inside Leicester's designated scheme area.

Family renting a whole house

Licence needed

Parents and dependent children from one household renting an entire house.

May need a selective licence if the address sits inside Leicester's designated scheme area.

Three sharers from different households

Worth confirming

Three friends or three unrelated tenants on a joint tenancy, sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Selective licensing can still catch a small HMO if the property sits inside Leicester's scheme area. Confirm with the council before letting.

Four sharers from different households

Worth confirming

Four unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Selective licensing can still catch a small HMO if the property sits inside Leicester's scheme area. Confirm with the council before letting.

Five or more sharers from different households

Licence needed

Five or more unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Needs a mandatory HMO licence anywhere in England. The five-or-more, two-or-more-households test is national, not council-specific.

Lodger with a live-in landlord

No licence needed

Owner-occupier letting a room to one or two lodgers in their own home.

Letting to a lodger while you live in the property is exempt from HMO licensing in most cases. Selective licensing exemptions also normally cover owner-occupier lets.

Student house of five

Licence needed

Five students from at least two households sharing a converted house.

Needs a mandatory HMO licence anywhere in England. The five-or-more, two-or-more-households test is national, not council-specific.

Buying a property in Leicester

A property licence does not transfer when a property changes hands. If you buy a let property that needs a licence under Leicester's rules, the existing licence ends and you need to apply for a new one in your own name. The seller's solicitor should disclose any existing licence and any open enforcement notices.

For conveyancing in Leicester, ask three things before exchange. First, is the property inside any current selective or additional HMO scheme area. Second, is there an active licence in the seller's name and on what conditions. Third, has the council issued a civil penalty, banning order or rent repayment order against the seller in the last six years.

Owner-occupiers buying to live in the property do not need a licence. The rules only apply when a property is rented out.

Anything on this page that you cannot find an answer to, the council's licensing team can confirm in minutes.