Thurrock Selective Licensing: What Landlords Need to Know in 2026

What Is Selective Licensing in Thurrock?

Thurrock Council introduced selective licensing under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004 to tackle poor property conditions, anti-social behaviour and deprivation in the private rented sector. The scheme came into force in January 2026 and runs for five years, expiring in January 2031.

Selective licensing applies to single-household private lets — properties rented to one person, a couple or a single family. If a property is let to multiple households sharing facilities, it falls under HMO licensing instead. The two schemes never overlap on the same property.

Thurrock's scheme covers 16 of the borough's 20 electoral wards. The four exempt wards are Little Thurrock Blackshots, Orsett, Stifford Clays and The Homesteads. If your property sits in one of those four wards and is rented to a single household, you do not need a selective licence.

How Much Does a Selective Licence Cost?

Fees are split into two stages. Part A (£236.98) is a non-refundable processing fee paid when you submit the application. Part B (£797.92) is paid after the council issues a Notice of Intention to grant the licence. That brings the total standard fee to £1,034.90 for five years.

Landlords who apply more than 12 weeks after their property becomes licensable face a higher rate: the Part B fee jumps to £1,530.42, pushing the total to £1,767.40. That 12-week clock starts from the date you first let the property or from the date the scheme came into force, whichever is later.

Paper applications attract an additional £500 surcharge on top of the licence fee.

How to Apply

All applications go through Thurrock Council's online licensing portal. You create an account, enter your property address, declare occupancy details, upload your safety documents (gas safety certificate, EICR, EPC, floor plan and tenancy agreement), complete fit-and-proper declarations and pay the Part A fee.

An application is only considered "duly made" — and therefore protective against enforcement — once the form is complete, all documents are uploaded and the Part A payment has cleared. A half-finished application does not shield you from penalties.

What Happens After You Apply?

The council checks your documents, runs fit-and-proper screening and notifies interested parties (freeholders, mortgage lenders, managing agents) with a 14-working-day consultation window. Once that clears and you pay the Part B fee, the five-year licence is issued.

Licences are tied to a specific person and property. If you sell the property, the buyer must submit a fresh application and pay full fees — licences cannot be transferred.

Penalties for Renting Without a Licence

Operating an unlicensed property in a designated ward is a criminal offence. Thurrock Council can prosecute (unlimited fine on conviction) or issue a civil penalty notice of up to £40,000 for certain selective licensing breaches. For offences committed on or after 1 May 2026, tenants can also apply for a rent repayment order covering up to 24 months of rent; for earlier offences, the limit is 12 months. Since 1 May 2026, landlords seeking possession of a private assured tenancy must use an applicable Section 8 ground; new Section 21 notices are no longer available.

Next Steps

For a complete walkthrough of every licence type in Thurrock — selective, additional HMO and mandatory HMO — including the document checklist, fee tables and a step-by-step application guide, see our Thurrock landlord licensing guide.

See more England guides →