Selective Licensing in Harehills, Beeston and Other Leeds Wards

The Old Schemes Are Gone

Leeds ran selective licensing in Beeston and Harehills between 6 January 2020 and 5 January 2025. Both schemes expired automatically. Every licence granted under them terminated on the same date. There was no extension, no rollover and no grandfathering into the replacement scheme.

Landlords who held a licence under the old Beeston or Harehills schemes cannot rely on that history. If the property now sits inside the 2026–2031 boundary, a fresh application is required under the new East, South and West Leeds Selective Licensing Scheme.

What Replaced Them

The current scheme was approved on 3 November 2025 and came into force on 9 February 2026. It runs until 8 February 2031. It covers targeted streets across six wards — not just Harehills and Beeston, but also Armley, Burmantofts and Richmond Hill, Farnley and Wortley, and Hunslet and Riverside.

The boundaries are not identical to the old schemes. Streets that were inside the old Harehills designation may sit outside the new one, and vice versa. The same applies to Beeston. Every landlord needs to verify their specific address against the Council's current GIS map or street schedule.

Ward Snapshots

Gipton and Harehills has one of the highest concentrations of privately rented housing in Leeds, with the PRS accounting for well over a third of households in parts of the ward. The new scheme covers specific streets, not the entire ward.

Beeston and Holbeck overlaps substantially with the expired scheme but the boundary has been redrawn to align with the Council's current priority areas for housing standards enforcement.

Armley enters selective licensing for the first time under this designation, covering terraced stock in areas of high tenant turnover.

Burmantofts and Richmond Hill, Farnley and Wortley, and Hunslet and Riverside are also new to selective licensing. All were identified in the Council's strategic assessment as areas of low housing demand, deprivation and anti-social behaviour linked to poor property conditions.

What You Need to Do

If you own a rented property in any of these wards, check the Council's interactive boundary map first. If the address falls inside the shaded area, submit an online selective licence application (£1,100 total, or £950 with the LRS discount) with all required documents. The application must be "duly made" — form complete, documents uploaded, Stage 1 fee paid — before you are protected from prosecution for unlicensed letting.

For step-by-step instructions on the boundary check, documents and application, see our Landlord Licensing in Leeds guide.

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