Apply for a Selective licence
Selective Licensing started on 1 September 2022 and requires rented properties (houses, flats, bungalows etc.) within the Oxford City Council administrative area to have a licence unless:
- The home is already licensed as an HMO; or
- There is an exemption.
Application fee
The application fee is charged in two stages. The Stage 1 fee is paid when submitting the application. The Stage 2 fee is paid when the draft licence is issued. If the application is eligible for an accreditation discount, the discount is taken from the Stage 2 fee after the application has been reviewed by an officer. Discounts are dependent on the original application meeting all criteria.
When submitting the application, you are required to give pre-authorisation for the Stage 2 payment. As the application has not yet been reviewed by an officer at this stage, the system is set to pre-authorise the maximum amount that may be charged. This is known as continuous payment authority. You must allow the system to pre-authorise your card to submit the application.
Apply for a licence
Important note on address look-up
The address look-up in the application system is not always consecutive - for example, flats, annexes or named buildings are often at the end of the list. Please scroll down the list before contacting us to tell us a property is not in the look-up list.
If the property does not appear, then first check the property is in Oxford City Council's administrative area i.e. to whom council tax is paid. You can check the property's district council on the Oxfordshire County Council website.
Please read before submitting your application
- If submitting the application on/after 01/09/23: If the property is NEWLY LICENSABLE (or new owner), please ensure you have supplied signed tenancy agreements / proof of ownership showing that the tenancy / ownership began within 12 weeks of the application date or you will be charged the HIGHER FEE.
- Application fees can only be paid by card. To submit the application, you will need to use a card that you can pre-authorise up to £1,100.
- We strongly advise you to read the application guide before starting the application to ensure you have all the information available and know how to complete the form.
- You must add the INTERSTED PARTIES separately even if the property is jointly owned. It is possible to add more than one freeholder/leaseholder etc. to your application.
- All parties listed must have unique emails as we must contact each interested party individually. If a person does not have an email or has a duplicate email, then we will post the information. However, we prefer an email as this is more environmentally friendly and quicker.
- Please be sure that all certificates meet our requirements, and that all required safety certificates for your property have been uploaded.
- Once you press SUBMIT, you will not be able to view/amend the uploaded documents.
If any of the above need to be amended, please do so BEFORE SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION. If any of the above issues are found on your application, this may cause delays as well as make your application ineligible for any discounts.
Help with making an application
See our Selective Licensing Application Guide for help with making an application. A video guide is also available to view.