Town’s landlords escape £1,500 HMO licensing fees

Landlords with smaller HMOs in one council authority’s area have avoided proposed licensing fees of more than £1,500 per property after the council withdrew its scheme.

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) challenged the council over its consultation and the charges landlords would have faced.

The additional licensing scheme would have covered houses with three or four occupants.

Telford and Wrekin Council initially disputed the association’s objections, then proposed completing the steps it had missed before revoking the designation in full.

As previously reported by Property118, the council has described the move as a pause in additional licensing, while its separate Article 4 Direction is still due to take effect in February 2027.

Landlord licensing challenge

Ben Beadle, the NRLA’s chief executive, said: “This is a major win for landlords which sends a message to councils across the country: if you do not exercise your powers within the limits of the law, you will be challenged.

“We raised serious concerns about both the process followed and the additional costs landlords would have faced.”

He added: “When those concerns were not addressed, we were prepared to challenge the designation through the courts.

“The council has now revoked it in full.”

Consultation documents missing

According to the NRLA, the council admitted that it had failed to publicise the scheme properly.

The association says key documents, including proposed fees and the conditions landlords would have had to follow, were missing from the consultation page despite references saying they were included.

It also challenged a £150 charge for missed appointments, arguing that the council had no lawful basis to impose it and had provided no cost justification.

A question first raised on 30 April about whether cabinet papers had been linked from the consultation page remained unanswered in the authority’s 11-page formal response, the NRLA says.

HMO scheme withdrawn

The association issued its letter before claim on 19 August, six days before the scheme was due to begin.

The council revoked the designation on 11 September, with the withdrawal taking effect on 15 September.

The NRLA also argues that the scheme would have required landlords to submit the same compliance information to both the council and the forthcoming national landlord database.

Under government plans, the West Midlands will become the first region required to join that database from 15 December 2026.