Which Councils Have Selective Licensing in England?

Selective Licensing Is Local, Not National

Unlike mandatory HMO licensing — which applies everywhere in England by default — selective licensing is a discretionary power. Individual councils decide whether to introduce it, which areas it covers, and for how long. The power sits in Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004, and a designation typically runs for five years.

This means the map of selective licensing in England is constantly shifting. Schemes launch, expire, get renewed, get challenged in court, and occasionally get withdrawn. There is no single central register of every active scheme — you need to check with the specific council where your property is located.

Examples of Councils With Current or Recent Schemes

Selective licensing schemes change over time. The examples below include current and recent schemes; check the local council for the live status and the designated streets or wards.

London boroughs: Newham (one of the first borough-wide schemes and frequently cited as the model), Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Croydon, Enfield, Haringey, Hounslow, and Tower Hamlets have all operated schemes in recent years. Several have renewed their designations as initial five-year terms expired.

South East and Essex: Thurrock Council's 16-ward selective licensing scheme became enforceable in January 2026; its borough-wide additional HMO scheme began in September 2025. Basildon has been studying the feasibility of a selective scheme, but no designation is currently in force. Southend's current selective scheme covers designated neighbourhoods in Milton, Kursaal, Victoria and Chalkwell wards and expires on 30 November 2026; the council is consulting on a replacement but has not made a final decision. Tendring's current council information describes mandatory HMO licensing, and I could not verify a selective or additional scheme in force there. Canterbury, Thanet and Hastings on the Kent/Sussex coast have active or recent designations.

North of England: Liverpool (one of the largest schemes by number of properties), Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle and Blackburn with Darwen in Lancashire. Rotherham, Doncaster, Barnsley and Sheffield in South Yorkshire. Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees in the North East. Leeds and Bradford have run targeted area schemes.

Midlands: Nottingham, Derby, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Walsall and Stoke-on-Trent. Birmingham has considered and consulted on schemes for specific wards.

Other areas: Bristol, Plymouth, Oxford, Peterborough, Luton, and Slough have all operated selective licensing.

This list is not exhaustive. Since 23 December 2024, the Government's General Approval has no longer required Secretary of State confirmation for selective licensing schemes of any size. Councils must still meet the statutory requirements, including consultation under Section 84 of the Housing Act 2004.

What Triggers a Selective Licensing Designation

A council can designate an area for selective licensing if it is satisfied that one or more statutory conditions are met:

• Low housing demand or the area is likely to become one of low demand
• Significant and persistent antisocial behaviour connected to private rented housing
• Poor property conditions in the private rented sector
• High levels of migration creating housing management challenges
• High levels of deprivation affecting the area
• High levels of crime affecting residents

The council must consult affected landlords, tenants, residents and other stakeholders for at least 10 weeks before making a designation. It must also consider whether the licensing scheme, combined with other measures, will address the identified problems.

What This Means If You Own Property in Multiple Areas

If you are a portfolio landlord with properties in different council areas, you may find that some properties need a selective licence while others do not. Each council sets its own fees, conditions, and ward boundaries. A selective licence in Thurrock costs £1,034.90 at the standard rate; in another borough the fee might be higher or lower.

The common thread is the Housing Act 2004 framework: the same fit-and-proper requirements, the same Part A/Part B fee split, the same penalties for non-compliance. But the specifics — which wards, which fees, which local conditions — vary by council.

How to Check Whether Your Property Needs a Licence

1. Find out which council area your property falls in (this is usually obvious, but boundary cases exist)
2. Check that council's website for "selective licensing" or "property licensing"
3. If a scheme exists, verify whether your specific address is within a designated area — councils often publish ward maps or postcode lookup tools
4. Check the scheme dates — some designations may have expired without renewal

For Thurrock specifically, the selective licensing scheme covers 16 of the borough's 20 wards (four are exempt: Little Thurrock Blackshots, Orsett, Stifford Clays and The Homesteads). Our Thurrock landlord licensing guide covers the ward boundaries, fee structure, application process and licence conditions in detail.

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