LetLens / Licensing by council / Mansfield
Landlord licensing in Mansfield
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Mansfield let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Mansfield also runs selective licensing, which can bring smaller HMOs, or every private rental, into licensing.
The licence you need turns on who lives in the property. Find the line that describes your let.
- Required by national lawThe same in all 296 English councils. Not a Mansfield decision.
Your propertyLet to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet
You needMandatory HMO licence In force England-wide
It costs£850 for a 5-bedroom HMO£850 base + £50/bedroom over 6
WhereEverywhere in Mansfield, as everywhere in England. Scope, fee schedule and source
- What Mansfield requires on topSchemes this council chose to run, and what differs from the council next door.
Your propertyA smaller shared house the national scheme does not reach, typically 3 or 4 sharers forming 2 or more households
You needNo additional HMO licence No scheme
Your propertyLet privately inside a designated area, whether or not it is an HMO
You needSelective licence In force
It costs£800, the same for a rental of any size
Where7 designated wards, not the whole of Mansfield. Scope, fee schedule and source
- Planning permission, a separate questionNot licensing. Whether you may create an HMO at all, decided by the council’s planning side.
Your planConverting a house (use class C3) into a small HMO (use class C4)
You needPlanning permission None in force
WhereNo direction here, so this is normally permitted development. The direction, its dates and its boundary
Each fee is for the example property named on its own line, from the council’s published schedule. Other sizes are priced separately; the full schedules, discounts and surcharges are below.
Or open NG19 9EN, a postcode near the centre of Mansfield, to see what a full report looks like.
Each scheme in detail, and the evidence behind it
Which properties each scheme catches in Mansfield, in the council’s own words, with the designations in force, the whole published fee schedule and the source for every figure. The three regimes can stack: a property can need a licence under one and still be caught by another.
Mandatory HMO licensing In force England-wide
Fee, 5-bed HMO£850£850 base + £50/bedroom over 6
- Where it applies
- National scheme
- Which properties
- HMO of any number of storeys (including usable basements/attics) occupied by 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share some amenities (kitchen, bathroom or WC) - mandatory HMO licensing under Part 2 Housing Act 2004
The published fee schedule
- Base fee
- £850
- Base fee, paid in two parts
- £490 on application, then £360 when the licence is granted
- Size charge
- £50 per bedroom above 6
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
Other charges
- Service of enforcement notice: £400
Additional HMO licensing No scheme
Selective licensing In force
Licence fee, any size£800
- Where it applies
- 7 designated wards
- Which properties
- Every privately rented dwelling within the designated areas that is let under a single tenancy to one person / one household, or to two persons forming two separate households, must hold a selective licence unless exempt (e.g. properties subject to mandatory HMO licensing, RSL/local-authority stock, holiday lets, long leases, business tenancies, or homes occupied by close relatives of the owner). Designated under section 80 Housing Act 2004 (General Approval, so the designation need not be confirmed).
- Designations in force
- Mansfield District Council Designation for Selective Licensing 2025
- Designation period
- 13 September 2025 to 12 September 2030
Mansfield District Council Designation for Selective Licensing 2025 covers Bancroft, Central, Eakring, Market Warsop, Rock Hill, Wainwright, West Bank.
The published fee schedule
- Fee
- £800
- Paid in two parts
- £500 on application, then £300 when the licence is granted
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- June 2025
Discounts
- Early-bird: application made within the first 3 months of the designation: £50
- Accreditation discount: member of a recognised accreditation scheme (DASH, NRLA, EMPO) applying within the first 3 months: £100
Other charges
- Discounted total - non-accredited early applicant, within first 3 months (Part A £450 + Part B £300): £750
- Discounted total - accredited early applicant, within first 3 months (Part A £450 + Part B £200): £650
Article 4 and HMO planning permission in Mansfield None in force
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Mansfield, so converting a house into a small HMO occupied by no more than six residents (use class C4) is normally permitted development and does not need planning permission on those grounds. An HMO for seven or more residents falls outside class C4 and needs permission anyway.
The research note behind this verdict
What happens if you let without a licence
Letting or managing an unlicensed property that needs a licence is a criminal offence, under section 72 of the Housing Act 2004 for an HMO and section 95 for a property caught by selective licensing. A council can prosecute, or impose a civil penalty instead. For conduct on or after 1 May 2026 that penalty can be up to £40,000 per offence, raised from £30,000 by the Financial Penalties (Housing Offences and Breach of Banning Orders) Regulations 2026. Tenants and the council can also apply for a rent repayment order, which for conduct from the same date can claw back up to two years of rent, up from one, under section 103 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
Both of those maxima apply only to conduct on or after 1 May 2026. Earlier conduct is still judged against the old £30,000 and twelve-month limits. Each breach is normally penalised separately, so an unlicensed portfolio in Mansfield multiplies the exposure rather than capping it.
The letting market in Mansfield
Licensing is only one side of the sum. These are medians from real listings we have collected, with the number of listings behind each one, because a median over a handful of adverts is a different claim from a median over hundreds.
- Median room rent£519 pcmFrom 135 room listings in Mansfield.
- Median whole-property rent£865 pcmFrom 60 whole-property listings.
- Typical 4-bed rent£1,053 pcmThe comparison a room-by-room let is measured against.
- HMO income premium+146%Five rooms let individually against one four-bedroom whole-property let, before the extra cost, licensing and voids that come with an HMO.
- Median sale price£180,500Across 274 sales in 2026, all property types, HM Land Registry.
- Gross yield, whole let5.8%Median whole-property rent for a year against the median sale price. Before voids, management, repairs, licensing and finance, all of which a real return has to carry.
- Gross yield, 5-room HMO17.3%Five rooms at the median room rent against the same median sale price. The higher figure is what pays for the licence, the extra management and the higher voids, rather than being profit on top of them.
- Typical household income£30,702Mean of net small-area median incomes around the council's main listing areas, not a council-wide median.
- Postcodes with flood exposure0.7%19 of 2,668 indexed postcodes.
- Postcodes in Flood Zone 38 (0.3%)The Environment Agency's highest-probability zone. Lenders and insurers ask about this one by name, and it is a subset of the exposure above.
Room rent by outcode
Room rent is fairly even across Mansfield’s outcodes, which is worth knowing too: the council-wide median above travels reasonably well here.
| Outcode | Median room rent | Room listings | Check a postcode |
|---|---|---|---|
| NG18 | £525 pcm | 104 | Check NG18 |
| NG19 | £500 pcm | 31 | Check NG19 |
Postcode districts in Mansfield
Licensing, Article 4 and the fee all turn on the exact address, because a designated area rarely follows the council boundary. LetLens holds 2,668 Mansfield postcodes. Open one of its postcode districts to see the verdict, the local rent evidence and the investment model.
Common questions
Do I need an HMO licence in Mansfield?
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Mansfield let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Mansfield also runs selective licensing, which can bring smaller HMOs, or every private rental, into licensing. Selective licensing covers 7 designated wards.
How much does an HMO licence cost in Mansfield?
£850 for a five-bedroom, five-person HMO under the mandatory scheme, from the council's published fee schedule. Fee basis: £850 base + £50/bedroom over 6. Larger or smaller properties, and any additional or selective scheme, are priced separately.
Is there an Article 4 direction in Mansfield?
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Mansfield, so converting a house into a small HMO occupied by no more than six residents (use class C4) is normally permitted development and does not need planning permission on those grounds. An HMO for seven or more residents falls outside class C4 and needs permission anyway.
Which wards in Mansfield are covered by licensing?
Selective licensing under Mansfield District Council Designation for Selective Licensing 2025 covers Bancroft, Central, Eakring, Market Warsop, Rock Hill, Wainwright, West Bank. A designation can cover only part of a named ward, so check the exact address rather than relying on the ward name alone.
What is the penalty for letting an unlicensed property in Mansfield?
Letting or managing a property that needs a licence without one is a criminal offence under the Housing Act 2004. The council can prosecute or impose a civil penalty, which for conduct on or after 1 May 2026 can be up to £40,000 per offence, raised from £30,000 by the Financial Penalties (Housing Offences and Breach of Banning Orders) Regulations 2026. Tenants or the council can also seek a rent repayment order covering up to two years of rent for conduct from that date, up from one year, under section 103 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Each breach is normally penalised separately. Indicative only, not legal advice.
About Mansfield
Mansfield is a local housing authority in East Midlands, with a population of about 109,000 and 2,668 live postcodes indexed by LetLens. It is the licensing authority for every private rented property inside its boundary, and the local planning authority that decides whether an Article 4 direction applies.
Nearby councils
Licensing stops at the council boundary, so a street on the other side of it can carry a different scheme and a different fee.
Contact Mansfield
Mansfield licensing team · [email protected] · 01623 463212