LandlordProof
Landlord compliance · Liverpool licensing

Liverpool selective licensing 2027: the consultation, the options and the proposed fees

Liverpool City Council's current selective licensing scheme is due to end in March 2027, and the council has been consulting on what replaces it for 2027–2032. The consultation set out three possible options and a proposed fee structure, and ran from 27 July 2026 to 5 October 2026. Nothing new has been decided yet — this is a chance to have your say. Here's what's proposed, what's already live, and how to respond.

Keep your licence & certs in date — free →

General guidance, not legal advice · last reviewed 3 October 2026 · always verify with Liverpool City Council & GOV.UK

The headline

Proposal, not yet an obligation

The consultation

Have your say

A 10-week consultation ran from 27 July 2026 and was due to close on 5 October 2026, independently managed by Opinion Research Services. It invited landlords, tenants, agents and residents to comment before any decision.

Three options

Citywide, or targeted

The council set out three possible designations for 2027–2032: a citywide scheme (all 64 wards), a deprivation-based scheme (~29 wards), or a poor-conditions scheme (~26 wards).

Proposed fee

Up to £995

A proposed fee list of around 12 categories, reported from about £240 to £995 per property — with lower figures for renewals, early applications and some reductions. Proposed, not confirmed.

This page is about Liverpool's proposals specifically. For the national picture — how mandatory, additional and selective licensing differ — see our landlord licensing requirements pillar.

What's live now vs what's proposed

Two different things — don't confuse them

It's easy to mix up the scheme that already exists with the one being consulted on. They are separate:

✅ Live now (current scheme)

  • Liverpool has run selective licensing in some form since 2015
  • The current scheme began in April 2022 and is reported to cover a large share of the city's privately rented homes
  • It is due to run until March 2027
  • If your property is in a currently designated area you may already need a licence now

🗳️ Proposed (future scheme)

  • A consultation on what replaces the current scheme from 2027
  • Three possible options and a proposed fee list were put forward
  • No new scheme, area or fee has been decided
  • There is no new licence to apply for and no new fine under proposals that have not been adopted

In short: the current scheme is a real obligation for properties in its designated areas; the future scheme is a set of proposals the council consulted on. A decision is expected before the current scheme ends in March 2027. Confirm whether your address is in a current designated area on Liverpool City Council's website.

The three options

What the council consulted on for 2027–2032

The council said the options were developed from evidence on housing conditions, private renting and neighbourhood challenges across the city. At the time of writing they were:

1 · Citywide

  • Selective licensing across all 64 wards
  • The broadest option — consistent standards across the whole city
  • Known locally as "Landlord Licensing"

2 · Deprivation-based

  • Around 29 wards
  • Focused on areas with the highest levels of deprivation
  • Where poor conditions and wider challenges are more prevalent

3 · Poor conditions

  • Around 26 wards
  • Higher concentrations of private rented housing
  • Evidence of poorer conditions and disrepair

Whether any option is adopted — and which wards end up in scope — is a decision for the council following the consultation. Treat the ward counts as the options as consulted on, and check Liverpool City Council's website for the outcome and the final designated areas.

The proposed fees

What a licence could cost — if a scheme is adopted

💷 The proposed figures

  • A list of around 12 fee categories, reported to range from about £240 to £995 per property
  • Full standard licence — £995 (reported as a £240 Part 1 application fee + a £755 Part 2 fee)
  • ~£687 reported for newly eligible properties, early applications and renewals
  • Proposed reductions for energy efficiency, blocks of flats and landlord-association membership

These are proposals consulted on, not confirmed fees. Final amounts are set by the council if and when a scheme is adopted — confirm them on Liverpool City Council's site before you pay anything.

📋 What an application usually needs

  • Completed online application and the property details
  • Gas safety record, EICR and EPC
  • Smoke/carbon-monoxide alarm detail and property-condition information
  • The relevant fee, and details of the proposed licence holder/manager

The precise document list is set by Liverpool City Council — check its application guidance for the current requirements under whichever scheme is in force.

Two-minute job

What should a Liverpool landlord do now?

✅ Sensible steps

  • Check if your property is in a current designated area — you may need a licence now, under the existing scheme
  • Respond to the consultation if it is still open, or follow the council's decision if it has closed
  • Get your gas, EICR and EPC in order — every option relies on them
  • Watch for the council's decision ahead of the current scheme ending March 2027

⚠️ Easy to get wrong

  • Treating the proposals as if a new licence or fee were already in force — they're not
  • Assuming the current scheme doesn't apply to you without checking the designated areas
  • Thinking a city-wide proposal means your property is automatically in scope today
  • Letting the underlying gas/EICR/EPC lapse — a licence relies on them whichever scheme runs

Related: our national licensing requirements guide, the Croydon selective & HMO licensing and Newcastle selective licensing pages, and does the PRS Database replace selective licensing? — a council licence and the forthcoming national database are separate obligations.

The stakes

What letting without a required licence can cost

Where a property needs a selective licence under a scheme that is in force and is let without one, that is a criminal offence under the Housing Act 2004. A council can either issue a civil penalty or prosecute:

  • Civil penalty — a substantial financial penalty per offence, as an alternative to prosecution
  • Prosecution — an unlimited fine on conviction
  • A Rent Repayment Order — up to 24 months' rent repaid to the tenant or council
  • Restrictions on regaining possession while the property is unlicensed

This applies under the current scheme while it is in force — it is not a penalty under the proposed future scheme, which has not been decided. Selective licensing also carries property-management conditions. Exact penalty figures and rules change and are set nationally — treat these as general guidance and verify the current position on GOV.UK and with Liverpool City Council. Not legal advice.

Where LandlordProof fits

We don't issue the licence — we keep it in date

Whatever Liverpool decides, a selective licence lasts years and depends on certificates that expire sooner. LandlordProof keeps them together so nothing slips:

  • Track the licence's own expiry, per property
  • Track the gas, EICR and EPC the licence relies on
  • Remind you 60/30/7 days before any of them lapse
  • Evidence pack in one click if the council asks

Honest about it: LandlordProof does not run the consultation, decide whether a Liverpool scheme applies to you, or issue any licence — that's the council's role. It's a record-keeping and reminder tool, and it isn't legal advice. See the full picture on the compliance tracker.

Free for your first property, with no time limit. Upgrade for up to 30 properties, the document vault and the full toolkit. No card to start.

Stay ready, whatever Liverpool decides

Set up a free account for your first property in about a minute. Store the gas, EICR and EPC a licence application needs, track the licence itself, and get reminded before anything lapses. No card, no trial countdown.

Start free →

First property free with no time limit

Start free →