Nottingham Landlord Compliance 2026 — Renters' Rights Act, Selective Licensing and Article 4 HMO Restrictions

Renters' Rights Act 2025 — England-wide obligations from 1 May 2026

All Nottingham private landlords must comply with these national changes from 1 May 2026:

• Section 21 abolished: No-fault eviction notices served on or after 1 May 2026 are unlawful. All possession is via Section 8 using the revised Schedule 2 grounds
• Periodic Assured Tenancy Agreement required: All new tenancies from 1 May 2026 must use a PAT-compliant agreement. Fixed-term ASTs are no longer available for new private residential lets in England
• Awaab's Law in force: Mandatory statutory timeframes for responding to, investigating, and repairing damp, mould, and other HHSRS hazards
• Information Sheet obligation: Every landlord with an existing tenancy as at 1 May 2026 must deliver the official RRA 2025 Information Sheet to every named tenant by 31 May 2026. Penalty: up to £7,000 per tenancy
• Pet request right: Tenants on PATs have the right to request a pet. Landlords must respond in writing within 42 days
• Civil penalties up to £40,000: The RRA 2025 increases the maximum civil penalty for PRS non-compliance to £40,000 per offence
• Rent increase via Section 13 only: Rent on a PAT can only be raised via formal Section 13 notice (Form 4A). Contractual rent-review clauses in PATs are unenforceable

Nottingham citywide selective licensing

Nottingham City Council's selective licensing scheme covers the vast majority of private rented properties within the city boundary. Operating without a licence in a designated area is a criminal offence.

• Citywide coverage: Nottingham's selective licensing designation covers most of the private rented sector within the city boundary. Check the Nottingham City Council licensing portal for your specific property address — the designation maps are updated periodically
• Licence conditions: Nottingham selective licences require the landlord to maintain the property to a minimum HHSRS standard, carry out annual gas safety checks, hold a current EICR, maintain smoke and CO alarms, provide a written tenancy agreement, respond to Awaab's Law obligations, and not use Section 21
• Licence fee: Nottingham's licence fees vary by property type and number of bedrooms. Check the current fee schedule on the Nottingham City Council website — fees are typically in the range of £500–£800 per property for a 5-year term
• Penalty for unlicensed letting: A criminal offence carrying an unlimited fine. Nottingham has prosecuted hundreds of landlords for unlicensed letting since 2018. Tenants can also apply for a Rent Repayment Order (RRO) covering up to 12 months of rent
• Landlord accreditation: Nottingham City Council operates a landlord accreditation scheme. Accredited landlords may receive a discounted licence fee — check current eligibility criteria

Nottingham Article 4 Direction — HMO planning restrictions

Nottingham City Council's borough-wide Article 4 Direction removes permitted development rights to convert dwelling houses (C3) to small HMOs (C4, 3–6 occupants) across most of the city. This is one of the widest Article 4 Directions in England.

• What the Article 4 Direction covers: In areas covered by the Direction, converting a family home from C3 (dwelling house) to C4 (small HMO, 3–6 occupants) requires a full planning application. Permitted development is removed
• Large HMOs (7+ occupants): Properties housing 7 or more people as a large HMO (sui generis use) always require planning permission regardless of Article 4 status
• Existing lawful C4 use: If the property was lawfully in use as a C4 HMO before the Article 4 Direction came into force, its established use is lawfully continuing. Consider obtaining a Certificate of Lawful Existing Use (CLEU) to confirm this if you plan to sell or remortgage
• Planning enforcement: Nottingham City Council actively enforces Article 4 breaches. Enforcement notices can require the property to revert to C3 use — with significant cost and loss of rental income. Do not begin letting as an HMO without confirming the planning position
• Additional HMO licensing: In addition to planning control, Nottingham's additional HMO licensing scheme requires a licence for HMOs with 3 or more occupants forming 2 or more households. This runs parallel to the planning control — both must be satisfied

Nottingham HMO licensing — mandatory and additional

Nottingham's HMO market is primarily driven by the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University. Lenton, Dunkirk, Beeston, and Radford are the primary student HMO concentrations.

• Mandatory HMO licence: Required for all HMOs with 5 or more occupants forming 2 or more households. This is a national requirement under the Housing Act 2004
• Additional HMO licence (Nottingham City): Nottingham's additional HMO licensing scheme covers HMOs with 3 or more occupants forming 2 or more households — meaning most student houses of 3+ bedrooms in the city require an additional HMO licence even if they fall below the mandatory threshold
• Student lets under RRA 2025: Fixed-term student tenancy agreements can no longer be granted from 1 May 2026. Student tenants on PATs have the right to give notice at any time after the first month. Nottingham landlords with large student portfolios will need to redesign their letting model
• HMO licence conditions: Nottingham licence conditions specify minimum room sizes, fire safety standards (interlinked smoke detection Grade D LD2 minimum, fire doors, emergency lighting), management responsibilities, and complaint response timeframes aligned with Awaab's Law
• Unlicensed HMO consequences: Criminal prosecution, unlimited fine, Rent Repayment Order risk, and inability to rely on Ground 8 for possession. Do not let an unlicensed HMO

Awaab's Law — Nottingham context

Nottingham has significant older housing stock in its inner-city wards. Damp, condensation, and mould are widespread issues — particularly in student HMOs with poor ventilation.

• Written acknowledgment required: Every damp, mould, or HHSRS hazard report must be acknowledged in writing
• Investigate within the prescribed period: Inspect within the timeframe set by regulations. Non-emergency hazard: likely 14 days. Emergency hazard: 24 hours
• Repair within the repair period: Address the root cause — not just the visible symptom. Surface mould treatment without addressing the moisture source does not comply
• Nottingham City Council enforcement: Nottingham has an active housing standards team. The city's selective licensing framework already requires landlords to maintain HHSRS-compliant properties — Awaab's Law adds a statutory timeframe overlay on top of this
• HMO ventilation: Inadequate ventilation is the most common cause of condensation damp in student HMOs. Install mechanical extract ventilation (MEV) or demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) in kitchens and bathrooms to address root causes

2026 Nottingham landlord compliance checklist

Minimum compliance reference — each item is a legal obligation:

• Selective licensing: check Nottingham City Council's current designation map; obtain a selective licence for every qualifying PRS property
• Article 4: confirm planning use class before converting C3 to C4 use
• Additional HMO licence: obtain for all HMOs with 3+ occupants in Nottingham City
• Mandatory HMO licence: obtain for all HMOs with 5+ occupants
• New tenancy agreements: use a Periodic Assured Tenancy Agreement from 1 May 2026
• Information Sheet: serve the RRA 2025 Information Sheet on all existing tenants by 31 May 2026
• Awaab's Law log: set up a written hazard reporting and repair log
• Gas Safety Certificate: renew annually
• EICR: current within 5 years; provide to tenants within 28 days of request
• EPC: minimum E rating; check certificate is current
• Deposit protection: protect and prescribe information within 30 days of receipt
• Right to Rent: check all adult occupants before tenancy start
• Smoke and CO alarms: smoke detector on every floor; CO alarm in every combustion appliance room

Frequently asked questions