Landlord licensing in Great Yarmouth

Required for any HMO let to 5 or more people forming 2+ households who share facilities.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council operates a selective licensing scheme that was formally designated on 10 December 2025 and came into force on 1 April 2026. The scheme runs for five years until 31 March 2031. It covers approximately 5,000 properties (around 60% of the borough's private rented sector) across designated parts of four wards: Nelson Ward, Southtown and Cobholm Ward, Central and Northgate Ward, and eight streets in the North Ward. The scheme is the successor to a previous selective licensing scheme that covered Nelson Ward only and ran from 2019 until January 2024 (licensing approximately 1,550 properties). The new scheme covers a substantially larger area and was justified on the basis of poor housing conditions, high levels of deprivation, and above-average levels of private rented sector property in the designated wards. All privately rented residential accommodation within the designated areas must be licensed unless subject to statutory exemption. Properties already licensed under the mandatory HMO regime are exempt. The licence fee is £694 per self-contained unit for a five-year licence (Part A £200 covering processing, Part B £494 payable before the licence is issued). Applications opened 1 April 2026 with a three-month grace period until 30 June 2026 — from 1 July 2026, unlicensed landlords face investigation and significant civil penalties. The scheme is administered by Home Safe Delivery Partners Ltd as the council's appointed delivery partner. Note: the scheme faces a judicial review challenge brought by the Eastern Landlords Association (pre-action letter sent 11 February 2026), but as of April 2026 the scheme remains in force.

Areas: Designated streets within parts of four wards: Nelson Ward, Southtown and Cobholm Ward, Central and Northgate Ward, plus 8 streets in the North Ward. Approximately 5,000 properties total (~60% of borough PRS).

Scheme runs until: 31 March 2031

No active additional HMO licensing scheme in Great Yarmouth. Only mandatory HMO licensing under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004 and the 2018 Order applies — properties occupied by 5 or more persons forming 2 or more households who share basic amenities require a mandatory HMO licence. Smaller HMOs (3 or 4 occupants) do not require an HMO licence in Great Yarmouth, although if they fall within the selective licensing designated area in the four covered wards they will require a selective licence instead. Note that any property used as an HMO in the borough also requires planning permission separately from any licence.