For UK landlords and BTL investors

Free HMO Licensing Checker

Enter a UK postcode and see the licensing schemes, fee ranges, and Article 4 direction status for the responsible local authority. Free, no sign-up, takes about two seconds.

What this tool tells you

  • Which council the postcode falls under. Sourced from postcodes.io (free, ONS-backed). Determines which licensing rules apply.
  • All three licensing regimes. Mandatory (statutory 5+/2+ rule), Additional (smaller HMOs in defined areas), Selective (any private rental in defined areas).
  • Article 4 direction status. The single most important signal for an HMO purchase: does converting a dwelling to a small HMO need planning permission, or is it still permitted development?
Verify before relying on this for a purchase decision. Schemes are renewed every 3-5 years and Article 4 directions can be added or revoked between renewals. The council's own pages are the canonical source.

Run the full HMO purchase analysis

The Investor-tier property report builds on this check for a specific address, plus yield, ROI, cashflow and HMO market data. From £49.99.

See the Investor sample