Property Licence

Council licensing report

Landlord licensing in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire runs at least one local property licensing scheme. Some rules apply to the whole council. Others apply only to listed streets, wards, or mapped areas, so the postcode alone does not always give a yes-or-no answer.

What landlords need to know

Status

North Yorkshire

Selective
Mandatory HMO (national)
Selective licensing
2 active
Additional HMO licensing
None listed
Mandatory HMO licensing
Applies nationally
Local scheme coverage
Listed streets or areas
Active local schemes
2 active schemes
Last checked
22 May 2026

Check a postcode and address in North Yorkshire

Enter the postcode to confirm the council, then pick the address. If a scheme uses a street list, we check the selected street against it and give a direct yes or no.

Local schemes in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire Scarborough South selective licensing

Selective licensing · active · Listed streets · 1 May 2022 to 30 Apr 2027

Coverage
Listed streets
Fee
£550

North Yorkshire selective licensing applies to privately rented properties in the listed Scarborough South streets, covering parts of Weaponness and Ramshill ward, from 1 May 2022 to 30 April 2027.

Show the 47 streets covered by this scheme

Albion Crescent, Albion Road, Alga Terrace, Back Crown Terrace, Back Oriel Crescent, Back South Street, Back Trinity Road, Belmont Road, Cambridge Terrace, Carlton Terrace, Craven Street, Cromwell Gardens, Cromwell Parade, Cromwell Road, Cromwell Terrace, Crown Close Back Road, Crown Crescent, Crown Crescent Back Road, Crown Terrace, Esplanade (1-30 inc.), Esplanade Gardens (37 only), Filey Road (1-19 odds only), Fulford Road (1 - 5a and 17 odds and just 2a, 2b and 2c evens), Greenfield Road, Grosvenor Crescent, Grosvenor Road, Montpellier Terrace, Oliver Street, Oriel Crescent, Prince of Wales Terrace, Princess Royal Lane, Princess Royal Terrace, Ramshill Road, Royal Avenue, Royal Crescent, Royal Crescent Lane, South Street, St Martins Avenue, St Martins Place, St Martins Road, St Martins Square, Trinity Road, Valley Road (evens only 32-58), West Street (1-15 odds and 2-8 evens), West Terrace, Westbourne Grove, Westbourne Road.

Read more about North Yorkshire selective licensing

North Yorkshire Scarborough Town selective licensing

Selective licensing · active · Listed streets · 1 Jun 2024 to 31 May 2029

Coverage
Listed streets
Fee
£695

North Yorkshire selective licensing applies to privately rented properties in the listed Scarborough Town streets, covering parts of Castle, Falsgrave and Stepney, and Northstead divisions.

Show the 94 streets covered by this scheme

Aberdeen Place, Aberdeen Street, Aberdeen Terrace, Aberdeen Walk, Albemarle Back Road, Albemarle Crescent, Albert Street, Alma Parade, Alma Square, Arundel Place, Bar Street, Barwick Street, Bedford Street, Belgrave Crescent, Belle Vue Parade, Belle Vue Street, Beulah Terrace, Blands Cliff, Blenheim Street, Blenheim Terrace - 1 to 29, Cambridge Street, Castle Road - 1 to 93a odds and 2 to 110 evens - including Wilson Mariners homes, Clarence Place and Clarence Road, Clark Street, Clifton Street, Dean Road - 1 to 51 including Wheelhouse Square, Durham Street and Place, Eastborough, Elders Street, Falconers Road and Square, Falsgrave Road - 1 to 143 odds and 2 to 118 evens - including West Park Terrace, Fire Station Yard, Globe Street, Hanover Road, Harcourt Place, Hope Street, Howard Street, Hoxton Road, Huntriss Row, James Street, King Street, Leading Post Street, Market Street and Market Way, Marlborough Street and Terrace, Merchants Row, Mill Street, Morgan Street, Nelson Street, New Queen Street, Newborough, North Marine Road, North Street including Providence Place, Northway, Norwood Street, Oxford Street, Palace Hill and Palace Hill Lane, Pavilion Square and Terrace, Peel Terrace, Princess Square - 1 to 3, Prospect Place, Prospect Road - 1 to 39 odds only, Queen Street - 1 to 29 only, Queens Parade, Queens Terrace, Regent Street, Roscoe Street, Sandringham Street, Sherwood Street, Silver Street, St Helens Square, St Nicholas Street, St Thomas Street, Stanley Street, Sussex Street, Swan Hill Road, Sydney Street, Tindall Street, Trafalgar Road, Trafalgar Square, Trafalgar Street, Union Street, Valley Bridge Parade, Vernon Road - 1 to 6, Victoria Parade, Victoria Road, Victoria Street, Vincent Street, Vine Street, West Square, West Trafalgar Terrace, Westborough, Westwood, William Street, Wrea Lane.

Read more about North Yorkshire selective licensing

How each scheme is scoped in North Yorkshire

A property licensing scheme is not the same everywhere. A council can designate the whole borough, a handful of wards, a list of streets, or a boundary drawn on a map. Whichever option North Yorkshire chose changes how confident you can be from the postcode alone.

North Yorkshire Scarborough South selective licensing

This scheme covers 47 named streets. Two houses on the same postcode can end up with different answers if the scheme covers one street and not the next.

North Yorkshire Scarborough Town selective licensing

This scheme covers 94 named streets. Two houses on the same postcode can end up with different answers if the scheme covers one street and not the next.

Common rental setups in North Yorkshire

The right licence depends on who lives in the property, how the household is structured, and where the property sits in the council area. These are the situations we see most often, with what North Yorkshire's current rules say about each.

Single tenant in a flat or studio

Licence needed

One adult renting a self-contained flat or a studio with their own kitchen and bathroom.

May need a selective licence if the address sits inside North Yorkshire's designated scheme area.

Couple renting a whole house

Licence needed

Two people from one household renting an entire house on one tenancy.

May need a selective licence if the address sits inside North Yorkshire's designated scheme area.

Family renting a whole house

Licence needed

Parents and dependent children from one household renting an entire house.

May need a selective licence if the address sits inside North Yorkshire's designated scheme area.

Three sharers from different households

Worth confirming

Three friends or three unrelated tenants on a joint tenancy, sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Selective licensing can still catch a small HMO if the property sits inside North Yorkshire's scheme area. Confirm with the council before letting.

Four sharers from different households

Worth confirming

Four unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Selective licensing can still catch a small HMO if the property sits inside North Yorkshire's scheme area. Confirm with the council before letting.

Five or more sharers from different households

Licence needed

Five or more unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Needs a mandatory HMO licence anywhere in England. The five-or-more, two-or-more-households test is national, not council-specific.

Lodger with a live-in landlord

No licence needed

Owner-occupier letting a room to one or two lodgers in their own home.

Letting to a lodger while you live in the property is exempt from HMO licensing in most cases. Selective licensing exemptions also normally cover owner-occupier lets.

Student house of five

Licence needed

Five students from at least two households sharing a converted house.

Needs a mandatory HMO licence anywhere in England. The five-or-more, two-or-more-households test is national, not council-specific.

Timing to watch in North Yorkshire

The earliest scheme end date is 30 Apr 2027 (11 months away). If North Yorkshire redesignates, every existing licence has to be re-applied for under the new scheme. Fees and conditions usually change between cycles.

Buying a property in North Yorkshire

A property licence does not transfer when a property changes hands. If you buy a let property that needs a licence under North Yorkshire's rules, the existing licence ends and you need to apply for a new one in your own name. The seller's solicitor should disclose any existing licence and any open enforcement notices.

For conveyancing in North Yorkshire, ask three things before exchange. First, is the property inside any current selective or additional HMO scheme area. Second, is there an active licence in the seller's name and on what conditions. Third, has the council issued a civil penalty, banning order or rent repayment order against the seller in the last six years.

Owner-occupiers buying to live in the property do not need a licence. The rules only apply when a property is rented out.

Anything on this page that you cannot find an answer to, the council's licensing team can confirm in minutes.