East of England · Council licensing
Great Yarmouth operates discretionary property licensing. Letting an unlicensed property where a scheme applies risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000 and a rent repayment order — check whether your property is covered below.
Required for any HMO let to 5 or more people forming 2+ households who share facilities.
Fee: £750
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).
Fee: £750
Scheme runs until: 31 March 2031
No additional licensing scheme is currently in force.
Source: Great Yarmouth licensing page →
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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