North West · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in Blackburn with Darwen
✓ Hand-verified 18 Aug 2026Beyond mandatory HMO licensing, Blackburn with Darwen does not currently operate a selective or additional licensing scheme. Here's the current position.
Required for any HMO let to 5 or more people forming 2+ households who share facilities.
One payment.
| Each let | £30 |
- The page does not state a fee year
Blackburn with Darwen — blackburn.gov.uk, read 19 Aug 2026
Evidenced negative, committee decision (first-party research 17 Aug 2026). Blackburn with Darwen has operated selective licensing before - a Darwen designation was made 16 Feb 2017 and came into force 16 May 2017, so on the statutory five-year maximum it expired by May 2022. The council consulted 7 May to 26 July 2024 to re-introduce and extend selective licensing in the Hollins Bank area (1,266 properties across Ewood, Mill Hill and Moorgate wards, part of Blackburn Central). Its own Executive Member Decision of 21 Feb 2025 resolved to "postpone declaring a Selective Licensing Area due to the changing housing market and in order to align any scheme with the emerging Housing Strategy" and that "the scheme is not yet recommended to progress". No designation in force. A stale council page still describes the historic Infirmary and Darwen schemes; the decision pages govern. re-check on publication of the new Housing Strategy or any re-tabled Hollins Bank designation.
Evidenced negative by enumeration (17 Aug 2026): the council HMO pages describe mandatory licensing only, and the Hollins Bank consultation lists as exempt "HMOs that require licensing through our Mandatory HMO licensing scheme". No s.56 additional scheme.
Common questions
Does Blackburn with Darwen have a selective licensing scheme?
No. Blackburn with Darwen does not currently operate a selective licensing scheme. Mandatory HMO licensing still applies wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.
Does Blackburn with Darwen have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
No. Blackburn with Darwen does not currently operate an additional HMO licensing scheme. Mandatory HMO licensing still applies wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.
Do I need an HMO licence in Blackburn with Darwen?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Blackburn with Darwen, where a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households who share basic amenities. Smaller shared houses may also need a licence where an additional licensing scheme applies.
- Free landlord compliance check — five questions, no account
- Tenancy agreement checker — findings cited to the Act and section
All property licensing in North West →
Source: Blackburn with Darwen licensing page →
Every landlord in Blackburn with Darwen also needs
A valid Gas Safety certificate (annual), an EICR (every 5 years), a valid EPC, a protected deposit, smoke & CO alarms, the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet, and a current How to Rent guide — plus the new Section 8 possession rules since Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026.
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