Yorkshire and the Humber
HMO licensing in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire Council requires a mandatory licence for HMOs occupied by 5 or more people from 2 or more households. It also runs selective licensing in designated areas, covering privately rented homes that are not licensable HMOs. The published licence fee starts at £980.
Mandatory licence
5+ people, 2+ households
National scheme
Additional / selective
Selective
Council-designated schemes
Licence fee
From £980
Decision time
About 8 weeks
The council's stated aim
Licensing schemes in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire Council consulted from 3 August to 12 October 2026 on renewing the Scarborough South selective licensing scheme (parts of Weaponness and Ramshill) for a further five years from May 2027, and extending it to all properties on Valley Road and Esplanade Gardens. The consultation window has now closed and a decision is awaited; the current scheme remains in force until 30 April 2027. A separate Scarborough Town selective scheme runs 1 June 2024 to 31 May 2029.
- Announced
- 3 August 2026
- Consultation closes
- 12 October 2026
Verified 19 October 2026
Licence fees
The published fee for a new HMO licence is £980, and £980 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.
North Yorkshire Council (the unitary authority formed in April 2023 from the former Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby councils) now publishes a single unified HMO fee schedule, confirmed identically on both its Scarborough-area and Ryedale-area HMO pages: five persons £980; six persons £1,085; seven to ten persons £1,185; each additional person above 10, +£30. The fee covers the full licence, which lasts up to five years. The council says it will 'consider discounts for landlords with several properties' but does not publish a specific discount rate.
Check the current fee on the council website (northyorks.gov.uk) before you apply.
Additional and selective licence fees
Fees for council-designated schemes are set separately from the mandatory HMO fee. Figures are the standard full-rate fee for a new licence, before any discounts.
Selective licence
£695
Ranges from £550 to £695
Scarborough Town selective licence (parts of Castle, Falsgrave and Stepney, and Northstead divisions) for a single privately rented dwelling, standard rate, paid in two parts (£180 initial payment + £515 final payment); £100 for each additional flat in a multi-flat building. A separate Scarborough South scheme charges less (£550 for a single unit: £180 + £370).
Current discounts: £260 for properties previously licensed under earlier schemes; £50 for members of NRLA, Eastern Landlord Association, SafeAgent, ARLA or Propertymark; £50 per additional licence application. Discounts can be combined where applicable. The £50 early-bird discount (applications by 31 August 2024) has expired. The £180 initial payment is non-refundable if the application is unsuccessful.
Scheme: From 1 June 2024 to 31 May 2029
Checked 2 October 2026 against northyorks.gov.uk
Minimum room sizes
| Double bedroom | 10.22 m² minimum floor area for a room used as sleeping accommodation by 2 persons aged 10 or over. North Yorkshire Council's own HMO licensing-conditions pages currently state that 'HMO information is currently being updated', so this is the national statutory minimum under The Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Mandatory Conditions of Licences) (England) Regulations 2018, which applies by default to mandatorily licensed HMOs. |
|---|---|
| Single bedroom | 6.51 m² minimum floor area for a room used as sleeping accommodation by 1 person aged 10 or over (4.64 m² for a child under 10). This is the national statutory minimum under The Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Mandatory Conditions of Licences) (England) Regulations 2018. |
National minimums for licensed HMOs are 6.51 m² for one adult and 10.22 m² for two adults; councils can apply higher local standards.
Fire safety requirements
- Fire safety measures must comply with current Government fire safety legislation for rented and licensed housing; the council directs landlords to national fire safety guidance rather than publishing its own bespoke standard.
- An annual fire detection test certificate and an annual fire risk assessment must be submitted with the licence application.
Kitchen, bathroom and amenity standards
- The property must meet the council's licensing conditions for room sizes, kitchens and bathrooms, and fire safety standards before a licence is granted.
- The council carries out two types of inspection during the lifetime of a licence, and will try to combine them to minimise disruption to occupants.
Documents you will need
- Gas safety certificate — Current gas safety certificate, if the property has a gas supply.
- EICR — Electrical condition report for the property.
- Fire detection test certificate — Annual fire detection test certificate.
- Fire risk assessment — Annual fire risk assessment.
- Floor plan — Floor plan of the property.
Sources
Compiled from the council’s own published pages and documents; data reviewed September 2026. Rules and fees change, so always confirm with North Yorkshire Council before applying. This is general information, not legal advice.