County Durham has one discretionary licensing scheme on our record: selective licensing (in force). A new scheme is being consulted on or awaiting a decision. Mandatory HMO licensing applies everywhere in England to HMOs with 5 or more people in 2 or more households.
Selective: yesAdditional HMO: none foundMandatory HMO: alwaysChecked 28 Sep 2026
| Area covered | Part of the council area |
|---|---|
| Runs | 1 Apr 2022 to 31 Mar 2027 |
| Fee | £585 (Part A £200 + Part B £385) |
| Discounts | £435 (A £165/B £270) for holders of a licence on 1 Apr 2025 adding a property within 12 weeks |
Ward or street lists can split a road. Use the council's own address checker or designation map before relying on this list.
Council licensing page Council address checker Public register
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Area covered | Part of the council area |
|---|---|
| Consultation | — to 12 Aug 2026 |
| Proposed fee | Not published on the council page proposed £550 early bird / £700 standard (NRLA) |
Ward or street lists can split a road. Use the council's own address checker or designation map before relying on this list.
Note from our check: close date and fee from NRLA; additional: none (HMO page https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/2499/Multiple-occupancy-homes mandatory only)
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Date | What | Scheme | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 2027 in 184 days | scheme end | Selective licensing | council |
Want a reminder before a deadline? Use the form at the bottom of this page and pick "Email me before my deadlines".
Whatever the local schemes, a licence is required for any house in multiple occupation let to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. This rule is national and has applied since 1 October 2018. Letting without a required licence is a criminal offence under section 72 of the Housing Act 2004. Read do I need an HMO licence? and how to apply.
The council's public register of licensed properties: Durham County Council public register. Use it to check whether a property already holds a licence, for example before you buy. Licences do not transfer to a new owner.
County Durham does not publish Article 4 data to the national planning data platform, so we cannot tell you from official data whether an HMO Article 4 direction applies. Absence of data is not absence of a direction: check the council's planning pages.
Licensing and planning are separate. A licence does not give planning permission, and planning permission does not replace a licence. See Article 4 and HMOs.
Figures below count First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) decisions published on GOV.UK for properties located in County Durham. They show how tenants and the council use enforcement here. Most civil penalties are paid without appeal, so they never reach the tribunal.
| Rent repayment order decisions | 6 (2 in the last 3 years) |
|---|---|
| Orders made | 2 (33.3% of decisions with a known outcome) |
| Median award | £2,765 (last 3 years: £941) |
| Total awarded | £5,530 |
| Civil penalty appeals | 10 |
| Penalty upheld (in full or reduced) | 100% · confirmed in full 11.1% |
| Median penalty: council's notice / after tribunal | £12,500 / £5,500 |
| Other Housing Act appeals (licence terms, notices, orders) | 1 |
| Decided | Area | Property | Offence alleged | Outcome | Amount | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Aug 2025 | DL14 | House / not stated | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Order made | £941 | GOV.UK |
| 3 Jun 2025 | DH6 | House / not stated | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Refused | — | GOV.UK |
| 17 Sept 2020 | SR8 | House / not stated | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Order made | £4,589 | GOV.UK |
| 10 Dec 2019 | SR8 | House / not stated | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Refused | — | GOV.UK |
| 6 Dec 2019 | SR8 | House / not stated | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Refused | — | GOV.UK |
| Decided | Area | Offence | Outcome | Council's penalty | After tribunal | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 May 2026 | DH9 | not extracted | Penalty varied | £11,000 | £4,000 | GOV.UK |
| 5 May 2026 | DL4 | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Penalty confirmed | £21,000 | £21,000 | GOV.UK |
| 2 Mar 2026 | SR8 | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Penalty varied | £12,500 | £30,000 | GOV.UK |
| 23 Feb 2026 | SR8 | unlicensed (selective licensing); failure to comply with improvement notice | Penalty varied | £30,000 | £18,000 | GOV.UK |
| 20 Feb 2026 | DH3 | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Penalty varied | £12,500 | £2,500 | GOV.UK |
| 9 Dec 2025 | DH8 | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Penalty varied | £18,000 | £5,500 | GOV.UK |
| 20 Nov 2025 | DH6 | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Penalty varied | £4,500 | £3,000 | GOV.UK |
| 14 Aug 2025 | DH7 | unlicensed (selective licensing) | See decision | £17,500 | — | GOV.UK |
Amounts and outcomes are extracted automatically from the decision text and can be wrong; open the decision on GOV.UK for the full reasons. Party names are not shown. Information, not legal advice.
If you have let without a licence you needed, read unlicensed property: what to do, rent repayment orders and civil penalties.
County Durham is in the North East region of the new Private Rented Sector Database. Registration opens 15 Jun 2027 and the deadline to register is 14 Sept 2027. The published fee is £65 per property per year. Database registration is separate from council licensing: you may need both. See register your rental property.
We can prepare a licence application for you for a fixed fee; the council's own fee is separate. See pricing for what is included and how we make money. You can also run a full address check on the postcode checker.
Yes. 2022 scheme: in force until 31 Mar 2027 (part of the area). Check the council's map or address checker to confirm your street.
Selective licensing: £585. Fees for mandatory HMO licences are set by the council and published on its fees page.
County Durham does not publish Article 4 data to the national planning data platform, so we cannot tell you from official data whether an HMO Article 4 direction applies. Absence of data is not absence of a direction: check the council's planning pages.
The council publishes its public register of licences here: Durham County Council register. Councils must keep a register of licences under section 232 of the Housing Act 2004.
The First-tier Tribunal has published 6 rent repayment order decisions for properties in County Durham (2 with an order made), median award £2,765, and 10 civil penalty appeals. Most penalties are never appealed, so the true number of fines is higher.
Related: selective licensing in England · additional HMO licensing · HMO licence cost · HMO rules · HMO hub
Last checked 28 Sep 2026. Information, not legal advice. Licensing schemes change often; always confirm with the council before you act.