HMO licensing in Durham

Which licences a rented house needs in Durham, and where. England. Checked 7 September 2026.

Durham runs selective licensing on top of mandatory licensing.

Mandatory HMO licence: 5 or more people forming 2 or more households sharing facilities.

Additional licensing

Extends HMO licensing to smaller HMOs (typically 3 or 4 people) in a designated area.

None found

Council HMO licensing page describes mandatory licensing only (five or more separate tenants); no additional HMO scheme referenced on HMO or selective licensing pages.

Selective licensing

Every privately rented home in a designated area needs a licence, HMO or not.

StatusIn forceWherenamed areas: designated selective licensing areas across County Durham, about 27 per cent of the county (council states 103 designated areas)Designated1 April 2022Ends31 March 2027

Council news 2026-04-28: scheme in place since April 2022 (month only) for five years, ends 31 March 2027; consultation proposed on a new scheme covering about 20,000 properties beyond that date.

Council HMO page · HMO Article 4 in Durham

Check an exact postcode for Article 4

Is a postcode inside an HMO Article 4 area?

See this on every listing.Kerbio puts the Article 4 answer, licensing, the council's HMO register and sold prices on the Rightmove, Zoopla or OnTheMarket page itself. Free for 7 days, then £39 a month.

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Sources: Durham council, gov.uk HMO licensing. Schemes change; confirm with the council before you offer.