Middlesbrough Selective Licensing Documents Needed

Missing a single document is the fastest way to lose a non-refundable fee in Middlesbrough. The council will reject an application that arrives without every required certificate, and the £878 or £998 fee is gone. Knowing exactly what you need — and checking it before you submit — is the most valuable thing you can do.

Required Documents

Gas Safety Certificate (CP12): issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer within the last 12 months. Not 13 months, not "nearly expired." The council checks the date, and an expired certificate means rejection. You also need to renew it annually for the life of the licence — uploading it once at application is not enough.

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR): the inspection must have been done within the last 5 years and must show a "Satisfactory" assessment. The electrician must be accredited by a recognised body (NICEIC, NAPIT, BSI, or ELECSA). An "Unsatisfactory" EICR requires remedial work and a re-inspection before you can apply.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC): valid for 10 years and must show a minimum rating of Grade E for the licensing application. A property below Grade E can trigger Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) enforcement by the council's Public Protection team.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Declaration: a signed statement confirming that working smoke alarms are fitted on every storey of the property and that carbon monoxide alarms are installed in any room containing a fuel-burning appliance. This can include living rooms, not just bedrooms, when a fuel-burning appliance is present.

Written Statement of Tenancy Terms: a copy of the current tenancy agreement. Since the Renters' Rights Act 2025 came fully into force in May 2026, all new tenancies are assured periodic tenancies — the written statement must comply with the new rules.

Additional Documents for HMO Applications

Mandatory HMO licence applications also require scale floor plans showing exact room dimensions in square metres, head heights, and window openings. The council uses these to calculate maximum permitted occupancy per room based on statutory minimum sleeping room sizes (6.51 m² for a single adult, 10.22 m² for a couple, 4.64 m² for a child under 10).

What Format to Upload

All documents must be uploaded as PDF files through the My Middlesbrough portal. The council does not accept agent intake forms, scanned faxes of generic worksheets, or "pending" placeholders. Each certificate must be a complete document showing the issuing engineer or assessor's credentials.

Timing Trap

Several of these documents have different validity periods running simultaneously. A gas certificate is valid for 12 months, an EICR for 5 years, and an EPC for 10 years. If your gas certificate was issued 11 months ago, it might expire while the application is being processed — and the council can request updated copies at any point during determination.

The safest approach is to ensure every certificate has at least 3 months of remaining validity on the day you submit.

What Happens If a Document Is Missing

The application is rejected. The fee — £878 for Newport 2 or £998 for Newport 1 Phase 2 — is not refunded. You fix the missing document and resubmit with a new fee payment.

This is why a pre-submission document audit matters more than the form itself. Our Middlesbrough Landlord Licensing Guide includes a dated pre-flight checklist that matches the council's document requirements, so nothing gets missed.

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