The PRS database in the North East: dates, deadline and licensing
The North East is the seventh of the nine regions to open for registration on the PRS database. Registration opens on 15 June 2027, and every rented property in the region needs an entry by 14 September 2027.
On this page
- When do you have to register in the North East?
- Which councils are in the North East region?
- Which North East councils run selective or additional licensing?
- Do any North East licensing schemes start or end during the registration window?
- What are the region’s councils doing about licensing?
- What have North East councils said about the PRS database?
- What should letting agents in the North East do before 15 June?
- Where can you read each council’s licensing rules?
- How much does registration cost, and what do you need to provide?
- What’s changed
- Frequently asked questions
When do you have to register in the North East?
Landlords in the North East must register each rented property between 15 June 2027 and 14 September 2027. The deadline depends on where the property is, not where the landlord or agent is based. A portfolio that spans more than one region has more than one deadline, set out in the national rollout table.
The window is 92 days and contains 65 working days once the summer bank holiday is taken out. It runs through the summer holidays, when the people you need may be away. The deadline falls on a Tuesday, a working day, so there is no weekend of slack: anything that needs a colleague, a landlord’s reply or a council’s answer has to be settled earlier.
The date to register by is the end of the three-month window the government publishes on the Housing Hub, after which councils in the region can begin enforcement. The draft Regulations fix when each region opens, not a date to register by. The dates were announced by the government (GOV.UK, 9 September 2026).
Which councils are in the North East region?
The North East region has 12 local authorities: the five of Tyne and Wear, the five of the Tees Valley, and the two unitary councils of County Durham and Northumberland. A property’s council decides its region. The draft Regulations list the councils in each region (Schedule 1), by the council areas as they stood on 15 December 2026.
| Area | Councils | Licensing beyond mandatory HMO |
|---|---|---|
| Tyne and Wear | Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland | Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne. None in North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland |
| Tees Valley | Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees | Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees. None in Darlington, Hartlepool and Redcar and Cleveland |
| County Durham and Northumberland | County Durham, Northumberland | County Durham and Northumberland |
Which North East councils run selective or additional licensing?
Six of the North East’s 12 local authorities run selective or additional licensing on Kamma’s data at 6 October 2026: County Durham, Gateshead, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland and Stockton-on-Tees. Between them they hold 11 live designations. The other 6 councils require a licence only for mandatory HMOs, which applies in every council. Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead are the only councils in the region with both selective and additional licensing.
Selective licensing covers most privately rented homes in a designated area. Additional licensing covers smaller HMOs that the national mandatory rule leaves out. Both matter for the database, because each registration records the property’s licence type and number (what that means for enforcement). Coverage below is as recorded in our data, grouped by council, scheme type and end date; check the council’s own map before relying on a specific street.
| Council | Scheme | Designations | Runs to | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Durham | Selective | 1 designation | 31 March 2027 | Parts of 36 wards |
| Gateshead | Selective | 1 designation | 30 May 2030 | Parts of 7 wards |
| Gateshead | Additional | 1 designation | 31 May 2030 | Parts of 12 wards |
| Gateshead | Selective | 1 designation | 30 September 2030 | Parts of 8 wards |
| Middlesbrough | Selective | 1 designation | 2 July 2028 | Parts of 1 ward: Newport |
| Middlesbrough | Selective | 1 designation | 22 July 2029 | Parts of 1 ward: Newport |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Selective | 1 designation | 5 April 2030 | Parts of 8 wards |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Additional | 1 designation | 5 April 2030 | Whole council area |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Selective | 1 designation | 29 September 2031 | Parts of 3 wards: Benwell & Scotswood, Byker, Elswick |
| Northumberland | Selective | 1 designation | 13 October 2029 | Parts of 2 wards |
| Stockton-on-Tees | Selective | 1 designation | 31 October 2029 | Parts of 4 wards |
Dates in bold are schemes that end on or before the registration deadline.
Do any North East licensing schemes start or end during the registration window?
No licensing scheme in Kamma’s data starts or ends between 15 June 2027 and 14 September 2027. One scheme ends before registration opens, which matters more: County Durham’s on 31 March 2027. Within a year of the deadline, Middlesbrough’s selective scheme ends on 2 July 2028.
A licence is still needed while a scheme runs, and a council that wants to continue one must consult and designate again. A new designation is a new licensing obligation with its own licence number, not an extension of the old one, and a registration made before it will need updating (our reading of how the database works, not a council’s statement).
| When | What | Council |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2027 | County Durham's selective licensing ends | County Durham |
| 15 June 2027 | Registration opens | |
| 14 September 2027 | Registration deadline |
What are the region's councils doing about licensing?
County Durham
Durham’s page says: “The selective licensing came into effect on 1 April 2022 and will expire on 31 March 2027.” (council page). That is 76 days before registration opens. Our data holds one designation, covering parts of 36 wards. The council has consulted on a new scheme, with the consultation closing on 12 August 2026 (consultation page). Its scrutiny committee was told in February 2025 to expect “an anticipated start date of April 2027” and that no application to central government would be needed (committee report). The NRLA’s summary of the proposal says it covers all private rented properties in 87 postcodes, 38% of the county’s private rented sector (NRLA). We found no Cabinet decision at 6 October 2026, and a consultation is not a scheme: until Durham designates, treat the new area as a proposal. A new designation is a new licence, so the licence numbers you hold today stop being current before the database opens (our reading).
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle has three layers. A borough-wide additional scheme for smaller HMOs runs to 5 April 2030. A selective scheme covering parts of 8 wards also runs to 5 April 2030. The newest layer is a selective designation made on 24 February 2026 that came into force on 30 September 2026, covering named streets in two areas, Greater High Cross and Byker, and in force to 29 September 2031 (public notice). It follows a designation for the same three wards, Benwell and Scotswood, Byker and Elswick, that began on 1 October 2021, so for agents already licensing in those streets it is a renewal and not an expansion. The council’s notice speaks directly to agents: “Private landlords who own property in the area or any person who controls or manages property in the area will be required from 30 September 2026 to apply for a licence.” Whether a licence issued under the earlier designation carries across is not something we found the council stating; ask the council before you assume it does.
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough’s selective licensing is confined to Newport ward in our data, where two designations run to 2 July 2028 and 22 July 2029. The North Ormesby designation ended on 13 June 2026 and our data holds no replacement. They are the first live scheme in the region to end after the deadline.
Gateshead, Northumberland and Stockton-on-Tees
Gateshead holds three live designations (selective in two areas and additional in a third), the latest ending 30 September 2030. Northumberland and Stockton-on-Tees each hold one selective designation, running to 13 October 2029 and 31 October 2029. None of the three ends anywhere near the window. Sunderland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland and Darlington have no live selective or additional scheme in our data.
What have North East councils said about the PRS database?
We read Newcastle City Council’s Renters’ Rights Act page for landlords on 6 October 2026. It lists what the Act changes from the day it took effect, including that it will “strengthen both local council enforcement and rent repayment orders” (Newcastle City Council). It does not mention the database. We found no North East council describing what it will do with the register once it opens, and the Gateshead and Durham pages we could reach said nothing about it either. That is a finding about published guidance, not about intention: councils that already license have licence numbers on file to check against what a landlord declares, which is why a missing or wrong licence record is the likeliest thing for them to query (our inference).
What should letting agents in the North East do before 15 June?
Work out which of your managed properties sit inside a live licensing scheme, and gather each licence number before your landlords are asked for it. Each registration asks for licence type and number under a false-information warning, so a missing or wrong licence record becomes a problem at the point of declaration. Licensing offences on or after 1 May 2026 carry civil penalties of up to £40,000 (Housing Act 2004, s.249A) and rent repayment orders of up to 24 months’ rent.
- Match every managed address to the six councils above and flag those inside a scheme’s wards
- Record each licence’s number and end date, and in Newcastle note which designation issued it
- Ask County Durham landlords now whether the council has designated the scheme due from April, because the current one ends on 31 March 2027
- Plan the entry work around the summer holidays, using the workload calculator
- Read what you need to gather before invitations start arriving
For the agent’s role in the process, see what a letting agent can and cannot do on the PRS database.
Where can you read each council's licensing rules?
Kamma publishes a licensing guide for each of the six North East councils with a live scheme. Each guide sets out the scheme, wards covered, fees and how to apply.
How much does registration cost, and what do you need to provide?
Registration costs £65 per property per year, and each entry asks for landlord, property, tenancy and compliance details. The full answers sit in the national guides, so they are not repeated here: see how much the PRS database costs and which information registration asks for.
What's changed
-
Page published. Licensing data checked against council sources on 6 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
The region has 12 local authorities, as listed in Schedule 1 of the draft Regulations: Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland in Tyne and Wear; Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees in the Tees Valley; and County Durham and Northumberland. A property’s council decides its region.
Yes. A new selective designation covering named streets in Greater High Cross and Byker came into force on 30 September 2026 and runs to 29 September 2031. It follows an earlier designation for the same three wards that began on 1 October 2021. Check the council’s notice for your street.
Not on the dates we hold. No scheme starts or ends between 15 June 2027 and 14 September 2027, though County Durham’s current scheme ends on 31 March 2027, before registration opens, and a council can designate a new one at any time after giving notice. Keep your entry up to date if a property becomes licensable.
No. The service opens on 15 June 2027 for the North East. The national guide covers early registration and the full rollout.
Find out which of your North East properties are licensable before 15 June.
Get the licensing gaps in your portfolio before your region’s deadline.
