Council licensing report
Cardiff runs at least one local property licensing scheme. Some rules apply to the whole council. Others apply only to listed streets, wards, or mapped areas, so the postcode alone does not always give a yes-or-no answer.
Status
Enter the postcode to confirm the council, then pick the address. If a scheme uses a street list, we check the selected street against it and give a direct yes or no.
Additional HMO licensing · active · Listed wards · 1 Feb 2023 to 1 Feb 2028
Cardiff additional HMO licensing applies to most rented HMOs in Cathays with three or more occupiers forming two or more households, except HMOs that need mandatory licensing or are otherwise exempt.
Cathays.
A property licensing scheme is not the same everywhere. A council can designate the whole borough, a handful of wards, a list of streets, or a boundary drawn on a map. Whichever option Cardiff chose changes how confident you can be from the postcode alone.
This scheme covers 1 named ward. The postcode confirms the council, but the address has to fall inside one of those wards before the licence applies.
The right licence depends on who lives in the property, how the household is structured, and where the property sits in the council area. These are the situations we see most often, with what Cardiff's current rules say about each.
One adult renting a self-contained flat or a studio with their own kitchen and bathroom.
No landlord licence is needed under current Cardiff rules. Mandatory HMO licensing does not apply because this is one household.
Two people from one household renting an entire house on one tenancy.
No landlord licence is needed under current Cardiff rules. Mandatory HMO licensing does not apply because this is one household.
Parents and dependent children from one household renting an entire house.
No landlord licence is needed under current Cardiff rules. Mandatory HMO licensing does not apply because this is one household.
Three friends or three unrelated tenants on a joint tenancy, sharing a kitchen and bathroom.
Needs an additional HMO licence if the address is inside Cardiff's scheme area. Mandatory HMO licensing only kicks in at five or more occupiers, so this property is not in scope of the national rule.
Four unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen and bathroom.
Needs an additional HMO licence if the address is inside Cardiff's scheme area. Mandatory HMO licensing only kicks in at five or more occupiers, so this property is not in scope of the national rule.
Five or more unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen and bathroom.
Needs a mandatory HMO licence anywhere in England. The five-or-more, two-or-more-households test is national, not council-specific. Cardiff's additional HMO scheme can add conditions on top inside the designated area.
Owner-occupier letting a room to one or two lodgers in their own home.
Letting to a lodger while you live in the property is exempt from HMO licensing in most cases. Selective licensing exemptions also normally cover owner-occupier lets.
Five students from at least two households sharing a converted house.
Needs a mandatory HMO licence anywhere in England. The five-or-more, two-or-more-households test is national, not council-specific. Cardiff's additional HMO scheme can add conditions on top inside the designated area.
A property licence does not transfer when a property changes hands. If you buy a let property that needs a licence under Cardiff's rules, the existing licence ends and you need to apply for a new one in your own name. The seller's solicitor should disclose any existing licence and any open enforcement notices.
For conveyancing in Cardiff, ask three things before exchange. First, is the property inside any current selective or additional HMO scheme area. Second, is there an active licence in the seller's name and on what conditions. Third, has the council issued a civil penalty, banning order or rent repayment order against the seller in the last six years.
Owner-occupiers buying to live in the property do not need a licence. The rules only apply when a property is rented out.
Anything on this page that you cannot find an answer to, the council's licensing team can confirm in minutes.