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Licensing · Middlesbrough Council

Landlord licensing in Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough Council runs 2 discretionary licensing schemes on top of national HMO licensing.

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Here is each one — where it applies, when it runs and what it costs — with the council page it came from.

A small brick town hall with a lit clock tower, arched windows and a warm open entrance on a quiet evening.
A small brick town hall with a lit clock tower, arched windows and a warm open entrance on a quiet evening.

Selective licensing

Privately rented homes in the Newport 1 area, part of Newport ward.

In force from 5 August 2024; the council's page gives no end date, and a designation ends no later than 4 August 2029 — the five-year statutory limit.

£998 for Newport 1 (phase 2), plus a £20 one-off fit and proper person test fee.

All licences in Newport 1 cease on 22 July 2029. North Ormesby's scheme ended on 13 June 2026.

Middlesbrough Council — scheme page(read 22 October 2026)

Selective licensing

Privately rented homes in the Newport 2 area, part of Newport ward.

£878, plus a £20 one-off fit and proper person test fee.

Designated in March 2023. All licences in Newport 2 cease on 2 July 2028.

Middlesbrough Council — scheme page(read 22 October 2026)

Licensed in Middlesbrough? Add the licence and its expiry, and the reminder emails start 30 days before it's due — beside your gas, EICR and EPC dates.A licence can't outlast its scheme, and the next scheme here to end does so by 4 August 2029.

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Mandatory HMO licensing applies as well

Everywhere in England, a house or flat let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a mandatory HMO licence from the council — whether or not the area has a scheme of its own. The schemes above add smaller HMOs (additional licensing) or ordinary single lets (selective licensing) in the areas they name.

A property needs one licence, not several: an HMO holding a mandatory or additional licence does not also need a selective one. How HMO licensing works, and keeping the renewal in view.

The PRS database, in the North East

Middlesbrough is in the North East, where registration on the government's rental property register is required from 15 June 2027 with a deadline of 14 September 2027. The register asks whether the property needs a licence and for its number, so the licence comes first. North East: what to have ready.

Where it sits

Every fact on this page was read from Middlesbrough Council's own pages on 22 October 2026 and is linked beside it. Councils change fees each April and redraw schemes every five years; the council's page is the authority, and where it differs from this one, it wins. This is not legal advice.

Whether a particular address is inside a scheme is the council's to answer — use its address checker or map, not a ward name alone, because several schemes here cover only part of a ward.

LetBuddy sits beside the council, not in place of it. It holds the licence as a dated item on the property with its renewal reminded like a certificate, keeps the licence and the gas, EICR and EPC copies a council asks for, and records the licence number the PRS database will want. Applying is yours to do: nothing is submitted to the council from here.

Common questions

Do I need a licence to rent out a property in Middlesbrough?

Possibly, depending on where the property is and who lives in it. Middlesbrough Council runs 2 selective licensing schemes, set out on this page with the council's own page for each. On top of that, any HMO with five or more people in two or more households needs a mandatory HMO licence wherever it is in England.

What happens if I let without a licence I need?

Letting a licensable property unlicensed is a criminal offence, and councils can instead issue a civil penalty. Tenants can apply for a rent repayment order — repaying up to two years' rent — doubled from one year on 1 May 2026.

Does the PRS database replace licensing?

No. The Register Your Rental Property service sits on top of licensing: it asks whether the property needs a selective, additional or HMO licence and for the licence number if it has one. Both apply.

How long does a licence last?

Usually up to five years, but never beyond the scheme itself: a selective or additional designation can run for at most five years from the day it came into force, so a licence granted late in a scheme can be shorter. When a council renews its scheme, landlords apply again under the new one.

Keep the licence dates in one place

Your first property is free, permanently. Add the licence with its expiry and the reminders run by email whether or not you sign in — next to the gas, EICR and EPC dates the council checks when you renew.

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Licensing in other councils

Read from Middlesbrough Council's pages on 22 October 2026. Statutory limits from the Housing Act 2004, ss.60 and 84.

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