Selective licensing in Leeds

What the designation says

Leeds operates a selective licensing scheme covering parts of six wards: Armley, Beeston and Holbeck, Burmantofts and Richmond Hill, Hunslet and Riverside, Gipton and Harehills, and Farnley and Wortley. The council formally designated the areas on 3 November 2025 and the scheme runs from 9 February 2026 to 8 February 2031. From 9 February 2026 a landlord operating a privately rented property inside a designated area must either hold a licence or have applied for one. Note that the designation covers PARTS of those wards rather than the whole of any of them, so the ward name alone does not settle it — a landlord should check the specific address against the council's published boundary. A property that already holds an HMO licence, including a mandatory one, is exempt from the selective requirement. The fee is £1,100 for an online application or £1,225 on paper. Letting an unlicensed property inside a designated area is a criminal offence carrying a civil penalty of up to £30,000 or prosecution, and exposes the landlord to a rent repayment order.

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 £30,000 per offence, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and a section 21 notice that cannot be served while the property is unlicensed. Mandatory HMO licensing applies separately and everywhere, wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.

Leeds's own licensing page →