Walsall: additional HMO licensing in four wards, plus a city-wide Article 4
Walsall's current additional HMO designation covers Palfrey, Paddock, Pleck and St Matthews until 31 August 2027. The council proposes extending it to five further wards, but those areas are not current coverage. Mandatory HMO licensing applies throughout the borough, and a borough-wide Article 4 Direction has made planning permission part of every small-HMO conversation since October 2025.
Four wards are live; five more are only proposed
Additional licensing applies to HMOs occupied by three or more tenants from more than one household in Palfrey, Paddock, Pleck and St Matthews. The designation runs from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2027. Walsall proposes extending the scheme to Bentley and Darlaston North, Birchills Leamore, Blakenall, Darlaston South and Willenhall South, but a proposal is not a current licence requirement.
Mandatory licensing is borough-wide
An HMO occupied by five or more tenants from more than one household falls under mandatory licensing anywhere in Walsall. Licences last up to five years but can be shortened, including to one year where there are enforcement, planning, management or compliance concerns. The licence and the planning permission are separate documents.
Article 4 arrived across the borough
Walsall's borough-wide Article 4 Direction took effect on 1 October 2025 and removes the permitted-development right for smaller HMOs. Development or extension of an HMO may therefore need planning permission even where the occupancy is below the mandatory licensing threshold. Check planning before converting or buying a shared house.
Do not rely on the old fee schedule
The latest official fee material found in the research was dated April 2023 and says that fees are expected to increase each financial year. It is not safe to publish those figures as the rates in force on 26 August 2026. Use Walsall's current licensing portal and fee page for the amount at the point of application; the portal also provides a postcode-searchable public register.
Enforcement has teeth
Walsall publishes an unlimited fine on prosecution, a civil penalty of up to £30,000 and possible rent repayment orders. Repeated civil penalties can lead to listing on the national rogue-landlord database. Selective licensing status is not confirmed by the current council material reviewed here, so ordinary lets should be checked against any new council notice rather than assumed covered or exempt.
Verify current ward coverage, fees and the postcode register via Walsall Council's HMO licensing pages and official licensing portal. Illustrative guide - designations, proposals and fees change; general information, not legal advice.
Renewal tracked from expiry, reminders from 60 days out, proof of service to tenants logged. Knows the 2-month early-renewal rule that keeps your date fixed.
Five years goes quicker than you think. Kept remembers so you don't have to - including the 28-day duty to give tenants a copy.
Expiry tracked from the certificate details you confirm - band E is the current minimum for most domestic private lets unless exempt, and proposed changes are flagged only when they become law.
30-day protection window tracked from the day the money lands - not the tenancy date - with prescribed information logged.
Check dates and follow-up dates for time-limited permissions, stored against each tenant.
Smoke alarms every storey, CO alarms where required, checked and dated at the start of every tenancy.
A one-off duty for tenancies that existed on 1 May 2026. Who was served, when, and how - the £7,000 question, answered with a dated record.
Preparation and export support for the future official registration process - clearly marked as planned.
Additional HMO licensing (3+ occupants): 4 wards to 31 Aug 2027. See the local picture above - every other duty applies exactly as it does nationwide.
Add a postcode and Kept resolves the council, location and local context automatically.
Planned preparation and export support for the government's regional PRS Database rollout.