Is my landlord licensed?
There are two separate questions here and they are easy to confuse. First, does the home you rent need a licence at all? Second, does your landlord hold one? You need both answers, and you can get both free.
Question one: does this property need a licence?
A licence is required in three situations. Your home may fall into more than one.
Selective licensing
The council has designated the area, and every private rented home inside it needs a licence, even a single family let. Designations are frequently drawn street by street, or cover a few wards rather than the whole council.
Additional HMO licensing
The council has designated the area for smaller shared houses, typically three or four sharers, that fall below the mandatory threshold.
Mandatory HMO licensing
Applies everywhere in England, with no designation needed: five or more people forming two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. There has been no storey requirement since October 2018. Wales kept a three-storey test.
Check your postcode against every live scheme
Free. Shows each designation covering that address, its dates, and the council's own source link.
Free scheme check · £29 for the evidence report
Question two: does your landlord hold one?
Three routes, all free. Use the third one if you may claim, because it is the one a tribunal will accept.
- 1
The council's public register
Every council that licenses properties must keep a register of licensed HMOs and licensed houses, and must let members of the public inspect it. Most publish it online: search the council's site for "public register of licensed properties" or "HMO register". Look up your own address, not your landlord's name, because the licence attaches to the property.
- 2
Rent Smart Wales, if you are in Wales
Every Welsh landlord must be registered and, unless a licensed agent manages the property, licensed too. Rent Smart Wales publishes a public check by property address or landlord name. This is separate from, and additional to, any local selective or additional licensing scheme.
- 3
Ask the council in writing
This is the one that carries weight. Email the private-sector housing team and ask whether the address held a licence, had an application pending, or held a temporary exemption notice, for each month of your tenancy. A written reply from the licensing authority is the evidence a tribunal wants, and it closes off the two defences a landlord would otherwise raise.
Not sure which council covers you, or what it licenses? Every English and Welsh council has a page here with its live schemes, dates and fees: licensing by council.
If the answer is no
A property that needed a licence and was let without one is a criminal offence by the landlord, and you may be able to claim rent back. A Rent Repayment Order can be up to 24 months' rent for an offence committed on or after 1 May 2026, and you have 24 months from the offence to apply.
Common questions
Is there a national register of licensed landlords?
Not yet in England. Each council keeps its own public register of licensed properties, which it must let you inspect, so the check is council by council. A national PRS Database is being introduced under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, with registration opening from late 2026, but it is not live. Wales is different: every landlord must be registered with Rent Smart Wales, which does publish a national check. Scotland and Northern Ireland both operate national landlord registration too.
Does every rental property need a licence?
No, and this is where most confusion sits. A licence is needed if the property is inside a council's selective or additional licensing designation, or if it meets the mandatory HMO test of five or more people in two or more households in England. 90 of 296 English councils currently run at least one live designation, and those designations are often drawn street by street rather than covering the whole borough.
My landlord uses a letting agent. Who needs the licence?
The licence attaches to the property and is held by a person: usually the owner, sometimes the managing agent applying on their behalf. Either way, a property that needs a licence and does not have one is an offence by whoever has control or management of it, and both the landlord and an agent can be liable.
Can my landlord evict me for asking?
Section 21 no-fault evictions were abolished on 1 May 2026, so a landlord cannot end your tenancy simply because you asked a question. A landlord who is unlicensed also faces restrictions on regaining possession. If you are being threatened or harassed, contact your council's private-sector housing team and Shelter, and keep a written record.
What if the property should have been licensed and was not?
Letting an unlicensed property is a criminal offence under section 72(1) or section 95(1) of the Housing Act 2004. As a tenant you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a Rent Repayment Order of up to 24 months' rent for an offence committed on or after 1 May 2026. You must apply within 24 months of the offence.
PRSCheck is an information service based on published council designations and national legislation, not legal advice. For advice on your own situation, speak to Shelter, Citizens Advice or your council's private-sector housing team.