Selective licensing County Durham: what landlords need to know

Landlord licence County Durham at a glance

Sources: Durham County Council pages listed under Sources, checked 21 October 2026.

How big is the private rented sector in County Durham?

County Durham had 40,198 privately renting households at the 2021 Census, out of 234,764 in total: 17.1% of all households, against 20.3% for England and Wales. That puts County Durham 18th of 331 local authorities by number of private renting households and 186th by share. Owner-occupiers made up 62.5% (146,821 households) and social renters 20.0% (46,858).

Selective licensing in County Durham

Durham County Council's selective licensing came into effect on 1 April 2022 and will expire on 31 March 2027. The council says it uses these powers in areas suffering from low housing demand, high levels of anti-social behaviour or deprivation. The designated areas are spread across the county rather than covering one town, so check the address on the council's selective licensing map before you assume either way.

Inside a designated area, every privately rented home needs a licence unless exempt. That includes smaller shared houses with 3 or 4 occupants, which fall outside mandatory HMO licensing; the council's own scheme report explains they are licensable under selective licensing, but only within a designated area. Because every licence ends with the scheme on 31 March 2027, a licence bought now runs for months rather than years. Whether the scheme will be renewed beyond 2027 is a decision for the council; we couldn't find a confirmed renewal on its site.

HMOs in County Durham: licensing and planning

Mandatory HMO licensing applies to any house or flat occupied by 5 or more people forming 2 or more households. Durham County Council aims to grant HMO licences within 14 weeks of a valid, complete application, and you don't get tacit consent if it takes longer.

Planning is a separate hurdle. Article 4 directions mean you need planning permission to turn a family home into a small HMO in Durham City (since 17 September 2016), Framwellgate Moor, Newton Hall and Pity Me (since 13 May 2017), and Mount Oswald, Carrville and Belmont (since 14 January 2022). A further direction covering the rest of the county came into force on 17 August 2026. Check planning before you buy or convert.

County Durham landlord licence fees

Selective licence: £585 per property, paid as £200 (Part A, on application) and £385 (Part B, when the draft licence is issued). If you already held a County Durham selective licence on 1 April 2025 and apply, with all supporting documents, within 12 weeks of another property becoming licensable, the fee is £435 (£165 plus £270).

Mandatory HMO licence from 1 April 2026: £1,050 for a new licence or transfer of ownership (£628 for processing and inspection, then £422 if approved). Renewal is £999 (£577 plus £422).

Councils usually split a licence fee into two parts: one paid when you apply, covering processing, and one paid before the licence is granted, covering running and enforcing the scheme. Where the council publishes the split, we show it above. Fees are reviewed regularly, so treat these as correct on the date we checked and confirm on the council's fee page before you pay.

Do I need a landlord licence in County Durham? A quick check

1. Check whether the address is inside a selective licensing area on the council's map.
2. If 5 or more people from 2 or more households share facilities, you need a mandatory HMO licence wherever the property is.
3. If it's inside a selective area and isn't a mandatory HMO, you need a selective licence. That includes 3 or 4 person shared houses.
4. If it's outside the selective areas and has fewer than 5 occupants, no property licence is needed.
5. Converting to an HMO? Check the Article 4 planning rules first.

People also ask about landlord licensing in County Durham

Do I need a landlord licence in County Durham? Only if the property is in a selective licensing area or is a large HMO with 5 or more occupants. Check the council's map.

When does Durham selective licensing end? The current scheme expires on 31 March 2027, and all licences under it end on that date.

How much is a selective licence in Durham? £585 (£200 plus £385), or £435 for some existing licence holders adding a property.

What every County Durham landlord must do, licence or not

Whatever the licensing position for your street, the core safety and paperwork duties for County Durham landlords are the same as anywhere in England:

• gas safety: a Gas Safe check every 12 months, with the record given to tenants;
• electrical safety: an EICR at least every 5 years, with a copy to tenants;
• energy: an EPC of at least band E, unless the property is exempt;
• deposits: protected in an approved scheme within 30 days, with the prescribed information served;
• alarms: a smoke alarm on every storey with living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in rooms with a fixed combustion appliance (except gas cookers);
• Right to Rent: checks on all adult occupiers before the tenancy starts.

These are also the documents a council is most likely to ask for when it processes an application or carries out a compliance visit.

What happens if you let without the right licence in County Durham?

If a property needs a licence and doesn't have one, the landlord commits an offence. The council can prosecute (with an unlimited fine on conviction) or issue a civil penalty of up to £40,000, the limit that has applied since 1 May 2026, and tenants can claim back up to 24 months' rent through a rent repayment order. Westminster, Brighton & Hove and Islington are among the councils that publish these limits. Applying promptly matters: the offence is avoided once a valid application has been made.

Keeping to your licence conditions

Councils grant most licences for up to 5 years and attach conditions, such as providing a gas safety certificate each year on request, maintaining smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, producing electrical safety reports, and handling repairs promptly. Inspectors check these against your records.

Gaffy keeps those records in order. Upload each certificate once, tag its expiry date, and Gaffy tells you what's expired or coming up, property by property. Tenants send repair requests with photos through a simple link, with no app to install, so you build a dated history of what was reported and when it was fixed. Pricing is £12 a month for up to 5 properties, then £4 a month per extra property, and your first month is free. We don't submit licence applications on your behalf.