Selective licensing in Great Yarmouth
Yes. Great Yarmouth operates a selective licensing scheme. Letting a covered property without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £40,000 and a rent repayment order of up to two years' rent.
Common questions
Do I need a selective licence in Great Yarmouth?
Yes. Great Yarmouth operates a selective licensing scheme. Letting a covered property without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £40,000 and a rent repayment order of up to two years' rent.
Which areas of Great Yarmouth does the scheme cover?
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).. Confirm a specific address against the council's own designation map before applying.
When does Great Yarmouth's scheme end?
The designation runs until 31 March 2031, unless the council revokes it earlier under section 84 of the Housing Act 2004.
What does the licence cost?
£694. Councils commonly discount for accredited landlords and early applications; confirm the current figure with Great Yarmouth before budgeting.
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued.
| Part A | £200 |
| Part B | £494 |
| Total | £694 |
Great Yarmouth — great-yarmouth.gov.uk, read 19 Aug 2026
What the designation says
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.
What this means for a landlord
A licence must be in place before the property is let, not applied for afterwards. Operating unlicensed in a designated area is a criminal offence: a civil penalty of up to £40,000 per offence and a rent repayment order of up to two years' rent. Both maxima apply to conduct on or after 1 May 2026; before that date they were £30,000 and twelve months. Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026 and possession now runs through the amended section 8 grounds. Mandatory HMO licensing applies separately and everywhere, wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.
Information tool, not legal advice. Confirm the position with Great Yarmouth before letting.