Cardiff Council is consulting on a new additional HMO licensing scheme for Plasnewydd, with responses due by 31 December 2026. No final designation has been made: the Shared Regulatory Services consultation asks whether another scheme is needed after the previous one ended on 31 December 2025.
For landlords, the immediate task is to check the proposed coverage, read the inspection evidence and respond. This guide covers Cardiff, Wales, using primary documents checked on 6 November 2026.
What has Cardiff decided about additional HMO licensing in Plasnewydd?
Cabinet has authorised a consultation, not approved a replacement scheme. The 15 October 2026 meeting decision authorises Shared Regulatory Services to carry out the statutory consultation on re-declaration.
The consultation report issued on 29 October proposes a further five-year scheme for the Plasnewydd ward. Its Appendix 1 contains the area map. Use that map and your property's exact address, rather than assuming a letting advert's neighbourhood description establishes coverage.
There is a further decision to come. Paragraph 18 of the Cabinet report says consultation results will return to Cabinet with a recommendation either for a scheme beginning in 2027 or for no further scheme. A start date and final designation are therefore not settled by this consultation.
What does additional HMO licensing mean in Wales?
Additional licensing lets a council bring specified HMOs outside mandatory licensing into a local property-licensing scheme. The power is in Part 2, section 56 of the Housing Act 2004, which requires the council to consider that a significant proportion of the HMOs concerned are managed ineffectively enough to cause, or be likely to cause, problems, and to consult people likely to be affected and consider their representations.
Keep the Welsh mandatory-licensing test in view. Cardiff's report describes it as HMOs with three or more storeys and five or more occupiers forming two or more households. Additional licensing reaches other specified HMOs, including smaller shared homes.
Do not carry England's storey rules across the border. Our general guide to whether you need a landlord licence covers England; this article and Cardiff's consultation documents address the Welsh proposal. Likewise, the Norwich consultation concerns different schemes, areas and fees.
Would a Plasnewydd landlord licence cover my house share?
The proposal would generally cover HMOs occupied by three or more people forming two or more households, regardless of storey count, where mandatory licensing does not already apply. The consultation report's property descriptions and Appendix 2 explain the scope and exemptions.
An illustrative screening example is a two-storey house let to three unrelated friends sharing a kitchen. It has three people in three households, so it fits the proposal's basic occupancy test, subject to its address and any applicable exemption. An ordinary single-household family let does not become an HMO simply because it has three bedrooms.
Converted buildings need closer attention: the report also discusses bedsits, flats that are not fully self-contained and certain converted blocks. Do not settle an unusual property's status from headcount alone. Ask Shared Regulatory Services to confirm the position, keeping the reply with the property's records.
What did the previous Plasnewydd scheme find?
The council reports that 878 additional HMO licences were issued during the 2021 to 2025 scheme, and 84% of inspected properties required works. Its consultation report says every property with a valid application was inspected; the 84% is an inspection finding, not a percentage of all homes in the ward.
The report compares the first scheme, from 2014 to 2019, with the second:
| Measure reported by the council | First scheme | Second scheme | Reported reduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 housing hazards identified | 498 | 305 | 38.8%, about 39% |
| Properties needing fire-safety improvements | 743 | 175 | 76.4%, about 76% |
Worked check: (498 minus 305) ÷ 498 × 100 = 38.8%, rounded to one decimal place. That is the reduction in the number of serious hazards identified between schemes, not proof that 39% of all Plasnewydd properties became safe. The fire figure counts properties, while the first row counts hazards.
The council presents these findings as evidence that licensing helped improve conditions but that problems remain. Its report identifies 5,330 registered rental properties, describing Plasnewydd as Cardiff's second-highest ward for private rented homes after Cathays. It also estimates that about 75% of HMOs fall outside mandatory licensing. The registered-rental total is not a count of properties that would need an additional HMO licence.
How can landlords and tenants respond before 31 December?
Choose the appropriate questionnaire on the SRS consultation page and submit your views before the consultation closes on 31 December 2026. There are separate forms for tenants, landlords, residents or the general public, and stakeholders or partners.
Read the full report first, or use the linked Easy Read summary. A useful landlord response can address:
- Coverage: whether the proposed area and property definitions address the problems identified.
- Inspection evidence: your experience of inspections, repairs and follow-up, supported by dated records.
- Administration and costs: practical difficulties, with evidence and suggested improvements.
- Outcomes: how the council should assess housing conditions and management if another scheme proceeds.
For help or paper copies, email SRSHMOconsultation@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk or call 0300 123 6696. Give your name and address, whether you want the full or Easy Read document, and which questionnaire you need. SRS requires requests at least 10 days before closing to allow for postage and return; request early rather than relying on Christmas post.
What should a Plasnewydd landlord do now?
Check your property's current obligations, prepare a consultation response and keep safety work current. Responding to a consultation is not applying for a licence, and the proposal does not itself create a new licensing duty.
- Check existing licensing separately. A mandatory HMO requirement does not disappear because the former additional scheme ended. Confirm your individual licence's status and any renewal requirement with SRS.
- Save the proposal and your response. Record the ward, property layout, occupation and evidence relevant to the proposed scope.
- Avoid treating a fee as final. The consultation report describes a fee review scheduled for 2026/2027; Cabinet's report says the current HMO fee will be reviewed separately. Neither establishes a final new-scheme tariff to use here.
- Continue safety checks and repairs. Welsh Government's landlord checklist covers gas-safety certificates, electrical reports and alarms; its fitness-for-human-habitation guidance explains the continuing requirements.
Padlord lets you record a property's licence type, issuing council and expiry date. The compliance deadline checker can help organise recorded dates; confirm which Welsh duties apply before relying on any general checklist.
Does England's PRS database replace Rent Smart Wales or HMO licensing?
No: Cardiff landlords must distinguish Welsh registration and licensing from England's PRS database. The Rent Smart Wales FAQs confirm that its requirements sit alongside property-specific HMO licensing.
Rent Smart Wales licensing depends on who undertakes the relevant letting and management activities; a landlord who delegates all those tasks to an appropriately licensed agent does not necessarily need their own management licence. Check both the landlord registration and who is licensed to do the work.
The Renters' Rights Act's Register your rental property service guidance applies to England. If you also own English rentals, use our registration service guide for those properties. It is a separate process from this Plasnewydd consultation.
General information as at 6 November 2026, not financial or legal advice.
