East of England · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in Thurrock
✓ Hand-verified 19 Aug 2026Thurrock 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.
The band is set by the number of bedrooms, and the licence lasts 5 years.
| Part A | £694 |
| Part B | £976 |
| Total, 2 to 5 rooms | £1,670 |
| 6 to 10 | £1,740 |
| 11 to 15 | £1,925 |
| 16 to 20 | £1,975 |
| 21 to 29 | £2,400 |
| 30 or more | £2,775 |
- Renewal 2 to 5 rooms £650 + £890 = £1,540
- Lapsed licence 2 to 5 rooms £1,670
- Paper application plus £108
- Change of manager £255
- Assistance £85 per hour
Thurrock — thurrock.gov.uk, read 19 Aug 2026
Thurrock Council operates a selective licensing scheme that went live in January 2026, covering sixteen wards. Every privately rented property in a designated ward needs a licence before it is let, apart from houses in multiple occupation already covered by the mandatory or additional schemes. Applications opened on 1 November 2025. The council consulted between May and July 2025 before deciding to proceed. Nearly a quarter of all homes in the borough are privately rented, so the scheme reaches a large share of local landlords. Check the specific address against the council's ward list rather than assuming from the town name.
Areas: Aveley and Uplands, Belhus, Chadwell St Mary, Chafford and North Stifford, Corringham and Fobbing, East Tilbury, Grays Riverside, Grays Thurrock, Little Thurrock Rector, Ockendon, South Chafford, Stanford East and Corringham Town, Stanford le Hope West, Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park, Tilbury St Chads, West Thurrock and South Stifford
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued.
| Part A | £236.98 |
| Part B | £797.92 |
| Total | £1,002.19 |
- Paper application surcharge £500
Thurrock, read 19 August 2026
Scheme runs until: 4 January 2031
An additional HMO licensing scheme is in force across the whole of Thurrock. The designation was made on 7 May 2025 under section 56 of the Housing Act 2004, came into force on 7 September 2025 and ceases to have effect on 6 August 2030 unless the council revokes it earlier. It applies to every house in multiple occupation as defined by section 254 of the Act that is occupied by three or more people forming two or more households, anywhere in the borough. A property is outside the scheme only where it is already licensable under mandatory licensing, is subject to an interim or final management order, holds a temporary exemption, or is a building listed in Schedule 14 of the Act. In practice that means a shared home of three or four occupants now needs a licence where previously only five or more did. The scheme was extended borough-wide after an earlier trial covering eleven wards. The designation is cited as the Thurrock Council Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2025.
Areas: Borough-wide, all 20 wards. Cabinet agreed May 2025
The band is set by the number of bedrooms.
| Part A | £694 |
| Part B | £976 |
| Total, 2 to 5 rooms | £1,670 |
| 6 to 10 | £1,740 |
| 11 to 15 | £1,925 |
| 16 to 20 | £1,975 |
| 21 to 29 | £2,400 |
| 30 or more | £2,775 |
- Renewal and lapsed-licence rates also published, lapsed 2 to 5 rooms £1,670
Thurrock — thurrock.gov.uk, read 19 Aug 2026
Scheme runs until: 6 September 2030
Common questions
Does Thurrock have a selective licensing scheme?
Yes. Thurrock operates a selective licensing scheme. Letting a property covered by it without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and the loss of the right to serve a section 21 notice.
Does Thurrock have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
Yes. Thurrock operates an additional HMO licensing scheme. Letting a property covered by it without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and the loss of the right to serve a section 21 notice.
Do I need an HMO licence in Thurrock?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Thurrock, 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
Selective licensing in Thurrock: areas, dates and fees →
Additional HMO licensing in Thurrock: areas, dates and fees →
All property licensing in East of England →
Source: Thurrock licensing page →
Every landlord in Thurrock 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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