Selective licensing in Sefton

Active in Sefton

Selective licensing applies to most private rented homes inside a designated area. Sefton has at least one active selective scheme. The detail below is built from the council's own pages.

What selective licensing actually means

A council can designate any part of its area for selective licensing under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004. Inside the designated area, almost every privately rented home needs a licence, whether the property is a single-family let, a small flat, or a house shared by a couple.

Selective licensing is not about HMOs. The rule keys off the fact that the home is privately rented, not how many people live in it or how many households share it.

Renting out without a licence inside a designated area is a criminal offence. Councils can apply a civil penalty of up to £40,000 per offence, and tenants can apply for a rent repayment order of up to 12 months of rent.

Check an address against the scheme

Enter the postcode and pick the address. We check the selected street against the council's published scheme area and tell you whether the licence applies.

Sefton selective licensing schemes

Sefton Bootle selective licensing 2023 to 2028

Selective licensing · active · Mapped boundary

Coverage: Mapped boundary
Runs: 1 Mar 2023 to 28 Feb 2028
Term: 5 years
Fee per property: £695

Sefton selective licensing applies to all privately rented properties within the designated area in parts of Bootle, except HMOs that require mandatory HMO licensing.

The scheme is drawn on a map. The council publishes a boundary, and only properties inside that boundary need a licence. Use the council's map for any address near the edge.

Full fee is £695. £150 is paid on application, with the balance requested on production of the draft licence. A £30 charge applies for each additional unit under the same ownership within the same building.

Properties exempt from this scheme

Owner-occupiers are exempt.
Homes let to tenants of registered housing providers are exempt.
Student accommodation directly managed by educational institutions is exempt.
HMOs requiring mandatory HMO licensing are exempt.
Homes subject to management orders or exemption notices are exempt.
Homes with lodgers are exempt.

Discounts the council offers

Reduced fee for properties accredited through Sefton's Property Accreditation Scheme or landlords accredited with the National Residential Landlords Association.
Reduced fee where a Sefton-accredited managing agent is the licence holder.

Mapped boundary

Bootle addresses on partly included streets or where the list and map differ, Bootle selective licensing area.

Apply for this licence on the council site

Consultations and upcoming changes

Sefton landlord licensing extension proposal

under consideration · Listed wards

Sefton's forward plan lists a key decision for Cabinet on 3 December 2026 on a business case outlining proposals to extend the council's residential landlord licensing schemes. The wards affected are Birkdale, Blundellsands, Bootle East, Bootle West, Cambridge, Dukes, Kew, Litherland and Waterloo. Public consultation on the details will follow Cabinet approval. No fee or start date has been published. The current selective and additional HMO designations end on 28 February 2028.

Who needs a selective licence

If the property is inside the scheme area and rented out under most types of tenancy, the landlord usually needs a licence. That includes a couple renting a flat, a single tenant renting a whole house, and a family renting a terrace.

A selective licence does not normally apply to social housing, holiday lets, properties under the Housing Act 1985 Part 7, or homes already licensed as HMOs. The council's notice of designation lists the exact exemptions, and they vary scheme to scheme.

Whoever is in control of the property is responsible for the licence. That is normally the freeholder for a house, or the leaseholder for a flat. A managing agent can hold the licence with the landlord's written agreement.

Selective licensing and HMO licensing in Sefton

Selective licensing and HMO licensing are different rules. A property only needs one licence at a time. If the property meets the test for a mandatory HMO (five or more people in two or more households) or for an additional HMO licence the council runs, that takes precedence and the property does not also need a selective licence.

Sefton also runs an additional HMO licensing scheme. A small house share that does not meet the mandatory threshold can still be caught by that scheme, again replacing the need for a selective licence at the same address.

The practical effect: check the HMO rules first. If the property is an HMO under either definition, apply for the HMO licence. If it is a single-household let inside a designated selective area, apply for the selective licence instead.

How to apply

Applications go through the council. Most have an online form that takes the property address, the landlord and agent details, gas and electrical safety certificates, an Energy Performance Certificate, and proof of right to manage. Councils ask for the fee up front, usually split between a non-refundable application fee and a grant fee paid when the licence is issued.

A licence usually runs for five years. If the council renews the designation, every existing licence has to be re-applied for. Fees and conditions can change between renewals.

A licence is tied to the named landlord and the named property. Sell the property, change the manager, or move out and the licence does not transfer. The council needs a new application.

What happens if you do not licence

Renting out an unlicensed property in a designated area is a criminal offence under section 95 of the Housing Act 2004. Councils can prosecute, or apply a civil penalty of up to £40,000 instead under section 249A. The decision is the council's, and a civil penalty does not need a court case.

A tenant can apply for a rent repayment order for up to 12 months of rent already paid. Universal Credit and housing benefit paid for the same period can also be reclaimed by the council under section 41 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016. Two separate offences in 12 months can trigger a banning order, which removes the landlord from the rental market entirely.

The council can record the offence against the landlord or agent. Repeated housing offences can lead to a banning order and can affect future licence applications.

Talk to Sefton directly

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

Email the licensing team

[email protected]

Phone the licensing team

0345 140 0845

Apply for a licence

Application form on Sefton's website

Public licence register

Search licensed properties in Sefton

Official licensing page

Sefton council guidance

Council postcode checker

Sefton's own street or postcode lookup

Mortgage and insurance implications

A buy-to-let mortgage usually requires the landlord to hold any licence the council demands. Lenders ask for the licence reference at the point of letting and again at renewal. Letting an unlicensed property in a designated area can technically breach the mortgage terms, and lenders have called in loans on that basis.

Landlord insurance is similar. Insurers normally require any licensable property to actually be licensed, and a civil penalty or rent repayment order can void cover for related claims. Disclose the licence status on renewal.

Buyers of let properties in Sefton should ask the seller for the licence reference and the conditions attached to it. The licence ends on sale, but the conditions tell the buyer what improvements the council has already required.