Selective Licensing Fees by Council: Every Scheme in England (2026)

If you let a home in one of the parts of England covered by selective licensing, you need a council licence before you rent it out, even if it is an ordinary single let. Fees vary widely, from a few hundred pounds to well over £1,000 per property, and schemes start, end and expand every few months. This page lists every current selective licensing scheme in England we could identify, with the area, dates and fee for each, and a link to the source we checked.

59

councils with a scheme

£800

median fee per property

£550–£1,290

range of standard fees

54 of 66

fees confirmed on the council’s own website

Landlords Portal analysis of council websites and the NRLA licensing bulletins, November 2026. Medians use standard fees before discounts; Ashfield’s lower £350 fee is from an industry source and not confirmed by the council.

What is selective licensing?

Under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004, a council can require every privately rented home in a designated area to be licensed, not just HMOs. It must show the area suffers from problems such as poor property conditions, high levels of deprivation, anti-social behaviour or high migration. A designation normally lasts up to five years, and the licence fee usually covers the whole period.

Type of licence	Which properties	Where
Mandatory HMO licensing	HMOs with 5 or more people forming 2 or more households	Everywhere in England
Additional licensing	Smaller HMOs, as set by the council	Designated areas only
Selective licensing	Most other privately rented homes, including single lets	Designated areas only

This page covers selective licensing. If you let an HMO, see our HMO licensing guide. Licensing is separate from the new national landlord register, which every landlord in England will also have to join; see our PRS database registration guide.

Selective licensing fees by council (England, November 2026)

Search by council, region, town or ward. Fees are the standard fee for a new licence before discounts. Many schemes cover only certain streets within the wards listed, so always use the council’s postcode checker or map before deciding whether a property needs a licence. The source column shows where we confirmed the fee: “Council” means the council’s own website or fee schedule.

New schemes and consultations to watch

Council	Status	Details
East Staffordshire	Starts 1 Jan 2027	New street-by-street scheme covering 16 streets in Burton upon Trent, to 31 Dec 2031; £700
Medway	Starts 4 Jan 2027	New scheme in seven wards including Chatham Central and Brompton and Gillingham North, to 3 Jan 2032; £840
Southend-on-Sea	Ends 30 Nov 2026	Current scheme expires; the council is consulting on possible future schemes
County Durham	Renewal consulted on	Current scheme ends 31 Mar 2027; proposed fee £700 (£550 early bird)
Liverpool	Renewal consulted on	Current scheme ends 31 Mar 2027; options from targeted to city-wide, £453 to £995
Greenwich	Expansion consulted on	Proposed 18-ward scheme replacing the current five wards; £974
Barnet, Preston, Halton, Slough	New schemes consulted on	Proposed fees £910–£928 (Barnet), £1,050 (Preston), £685 (Halton), £750 (Slough)
Burnley, North Yorkshire (Scarborough)	Renewals consulted on	Burnley £610–£774; Scarborough £750 from May 2027

Source: NRLA monthly licensing updates for August, September and October 2026. Proposed schemes can change or be dropped after consultation.

How licence fees work

• Two-part payment. Most councils take part of the fee when you apply (for processing) and the rest when the licence is granted (for running and enforcing the scheme).
• One fee for the scheme. A licence usually runs until the designation ends, so applying late in a scheme can mean paying the full fee for a shorter period. A few councils, such as Wirral, reduce fees late in a scheme.
• Common discounts: landlord accreditation or association membership, an EPC of C or above, multiple flats in one block, and early applications.
• Higher fees for late or unlicensed lets. Oxford, Thurrock, Rotherham and others charge much more if the property was let without a licence.
• Tax. Licence fees are generally an allowable expense against rental income. See our guide to allowable expenses for landlords.

Budget for licensing alongside the other rising costs of letting; see our hidden buy-to-let costs guide.

What happens if you do not license

• Civil penalty or prosecution. Letting without a required licence is a criminal offence. Councils can issue a civil penalty instead of prosecuting; the maximum rose from £30,000 to £40,000 for offences on or after 1 May 2026.
• Rent repayment order. The tenant or council can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for an order requiring you to repay up to two years’ rent received while the property was unlicensed.

If you are unsure whether your property is covered, apply or ask the council in writing. A pending application is a defence while it is being decided. Source: Propertymark. Our Renters’ Rights Act checklist covers the other compliance checks.

How we built and checked this table

We started from the councils listed as running selective licensing by independent licensing checkers and the NRLA’s monthly licensing bulletins, then checked each scheme against the council’s own website, fee schedule or public notice in November 2026. For 54 of the 66 schemes, the fee shown was confirmed on the council’s website. Where a council page could not be reached or did not publish the figure, we show the fee from the NRLA or an industry licensing source and label it, or say “Check with council”. Where sources disagreed, we used the council’s figure.

Fees change every April and schemes change through the year. We plan to update this page regularly. If you spot something out of date, please tell us through our contact page, ideally with a link to the council source.

Compiled by The Landlords Portal Team. Data checked in November 2026. Applies to England. General information, not legal advice; always confirm with the council before letting.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a selective licence cost?

Across the 66 schemes we checked, the typical standard fee is about £800 per property for a five-year licence, ranging from £550 to £1,290 before discounts.

Which councils have selective licensing?

We found 59 councils in England with a current scheme in November 2026, including large parts of London, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Nottingham and Bristol. Many schemes cover only certain wards or streets.

How long does a selective licence last?

Usually until the end of the designation, which is up to five years from the scheme’s start date. A council can issue a shorter licence.

What is the penalty for not having a selective licence?

It is a criminal offence. Councils can prosecute or issue a civil penalty of up to £40,000 for offences since 1 May 2026, and tenants can apply for a rent repayment order of up to two years’ rent.