Newcastle upon Tyne Council Is Moving To Data-Led Enforcement
Property Licensing Guide for Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne currently operates selective licensing in 9 wards and additional licensing in 26 wards; mandatory HMO licensing applies everywhere. Last checked: 22 October 2026.
This free guide will provide you with the key details regarding what licensing requirements are necessary in this area and how to apply for a licence.
New to this? Read our overview: What is selective licensing?
Newcastle upon Tyne is in the North East registration window for the PRS database, which opens on 15 June 2027: see when landlords in the North East have to register on the PRS database.
Newcastle upon Tyne Property Licensing Schemes
To check whether a Newcastle upon Tyne property needs a licence, use Kamma’s free checker with the address. Selective licensing applies only to named streets, so the answer depends on the street. HMO licensing depends on the number of occupants and households.
Is manual compliance causing a headache for your agency? At Kamma, we specialise in automating licensing compliance for agents across the UK. If you need any assistance in getting your property portfolio compliant, find out how we can help letting agents here.
Not sure whether a Newcastle upon Tyne property needs a licence? Kamma's free checker covers selective, additional and HMO schemes.
Check a Newcastle upon Tyne property →What are the licensing requirements for Newcastle upon Tyne?
Mandatory licensing in Newcastle upon Tyne
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across Newcastle upon Tyne (and all of England) to larger HMOs. These are properties occupied by five or more people forming more than one household, including:
- Shared houses and flats occupied by students and young professionals.
- Properties converted into bedsits with some shared facilities.
- Properties converted into a mix of self-contained and non-self-contained accommodation.
Do I need an additional property licence in Newcastle upon Tyne?
Additional licensing requires smaller HMOs in a designated area to be licensed. That means a privately rented property with three or more people forming more than one household.
Newcastle upon Tyne operates additional HMO licensing. The current designation is set out below.
Do I need a selective licence in Newcastle upon Tyne?
Selective licensing requires almost all privately rented properties in a designated area to be licensed, regardless of the number of occupants.
Newcastle upon Tyne operates selective licensing. The current designation is set out below.
Additional licensing: 5 April 2025 to 5 April 2030, borough-wide (all 26 wards).
Selective licensing: 5 April 2025 to 5 April 2030, covering Arthur’s Hill, Benwell & Scotswood, Blakelaw, Elswick, Kenton, Lemington, West Fenham and Wingrove.
Selective licensing: 30 September 2026 to 29 September 2031, covering Benwell & Scotswood, Byker and Elswick.
Mandatory HMO licensing: in force since 2006 for HMOs of five or more people forming more than one household.
The new selective licensing scheme
The scheme takes effect on 30 September 2026.
What happens next
- 24 February 2026: designation made
- 30 September 2026: scheme takes effect
How do I apply for a licence?
You can apply for a licence via Newcastle upon Tyne Council’s website here. Or let Kamma’s expert team process the application for you.
How much does a licence cost?
Newcastle City Council sets the following licence fees (Fees & Charges, June 2025):
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Mandatory HMO | £1,100 total: Part A (application) £350 + Part B (enforcement) £750. Renewal £1,000. |
| Additional HMO | £1,100 total (Part A £350 + Part B £750). |
| Selective | £1,000 total: Part A £300 + Part B £700. |
Discounts: £100 off for accreditation (mandatory HMO only), £50 off for a valid new application within one month of purchase, and £100 off for EPC A/B/C. Fees are set by the council and can change. Check Newcastle City Council’s fees schedule for the latest figures.
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Newcastle upon Tyne Property Licensing FAQs
What licensing schemes does Newcastle upon Tyne operate?
Newcastle upon Tyne operates selective and additional licensing (5 April 2025 to 5 April 2030, 5 April 2025 to 5 April 2030), alongside the national mandatory HMO scheme. The scheme takes effect on 30 September 2026. See the scheme details above.
Do all properties in Newcastle upon Tyne need a licence?
No. In Newcastle upon Tyne, a selective licence is needed only for private rented homes in the designated areas. HMOs need a licence under the mandatory scheme (five or more people) or the citywide additional scheme (three or more people in two or more households).
What if my property doesn't have a licence?
A Newcastle upon Tyne property that needs a licence and has none can bring a civil penalty of up to £40,000 per property. The landlord also risks a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent. A letting agent who manages the property or collects the rent commits the offence too and can be fined separately.
Can letting agents apply on behalf of landlords?
Yes. Letting agents can apply for Newcastle upon Tyne property licences on behalf of landlords. The council’s public notice requires anyone who controls or manages property in a selective area to apply. Kamma prepares and submits these applications for agents.
How do I apply for a Newcastle upon Tyne property licence?
You apply through Newcastle City Council (licensing pages). The council’s fees are on its fees and charges schedule. Letting agents can also have Kamma prepare and submit the application.
Why did Newcastle upon Tyne introduce selective licensing?
Newcastle City Council uses selective licensing in Byker and Greater High Cross because deprivation is high and anti-social behaviour is still above the city average. The council states this in its 2026 consultation material. Both areas have been licensed for 15 years.
Why did Newcastle upon Tyne introduce additional licensing?
Newcastle City Council introduced citywide additional HMO licensing from 5 April 2025 for smaller HMOs. Its Cabinet approved a five-year scheme on 14 October 2024 on grounds of anti-social behaviour, crime and deprivation.
What are the conditions to obtain an HMO licence in Newcastle upon Tyne?
Newcastle City Council’s HMO licence conditions set standards for fire safety, amenities, room sizes and management. They are published in the council’s HMO licensing conditions (2025).
About Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle City Council has used selective licensing in Byker and Greater High Cross for 15 years. Its consultation material says both areas have high deprivation and anti-social behaviour above the city average. The council re-designated both areas on 24 February 2026, for 30 September 2026 to 29 September 2031. Additional HMO licensing has covered the whole city since 5 April 2025.
Licensing Enforcement in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle City Council’s public notice for the 2026 selective scheme says a landlord without a licence may face prosecution and an unlimited fine, or a civil penalty. Civil penalties can reach £40,000 per property for offences on or after 1 May 2026. The landlord can also face a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent. A letting agent who manages the property or collects the rent commits the offence too and can be fined in its own right.
Applying for a property licence in Newcastle upon Tyne
A Newcastle upon Tyne licence application is made to the council on the council’s own form, with the documents that council asks for. Requirements differ between councils and change when a designation changes, which is most of why an application that was correct last year is not necessarily correct now.
Letting agents can have Kamma do it. We prepare and submit mandatory HMO, additional HMO and selective licence applications in Newcastle upon Tyne and in every other UK council area, collect the supporting documents from you or from your landlord, and monitor the application through to approval. The licensing application service page sets out what we need and what happens when a council rejects a submission.
Landlords should speak to their letting agent, who can instruct us directly.
Tracking licensing across a managed portfolio
A single Newcastle upon Tyne address can be checked by hand. An agency managing several hundred properties across Newcastle upon Tyne and the boroughs around it cannot work that way, and designations change often enough that a check made last quarter may no longer hold.
Kamma connects to the CRM your agency already works in and reads the address and tenancy fields a licensing determination depends on. The licensing position for each property then sits beside the record your team is already looking at.
Pages covering what Kamma reads from each system and how to connect it are available for Reapit, Street.co.uk, MRI Sales and Lettings, MRI Radar, Apex27, Acquaint CRM, Jupix, iamproperty, SME Professional, Rex Software, SleekTech. Alto and agentOS also integrate. The full list is on the CRM integrations page.
