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Property Licensing in Newcastle 2024 - Selective and Additional Licensing Schemes

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07 March 2024 - 29 May 2024

We want to hear your views on our proposals for future property licensing schemes in Newcastle - please tell us what you think!

We want to hear from tenants, residents, agents, landlords, and voluntary & community sector organisations, and anyone else who wishes to comment on our proposed selective and additional licensing schemes for Newcastle. Property licensing schemes are intended to raise standards in the private rented sector, making landlords more accountable, improving property management and helping to make communities more stable.
 
What we would like you to do
We are consulting on our proposals which could see new selective licensing schemes in Lemington, Denton Court and Columbia Grange, and amended schemes in Cowgate and the West End, being put in place for another five years. The plans also include a new additional licensing scheme for smaller HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation) across the whole of Newcastle.

You can read the full details of our proposals here - please do this before you take part in the consultation:  


When you have read what we are proposing to do, you can take part in the survey below (or click 'Participate'), or click to open the survey in your browser here: 

Click here to take part: Property Licensing Schemes in Newcastle 2024 Survey


Please note that there are different questions for landlords and agents, and tenants and residents. You will be asked a question about this at the start of the survey, which will make sure you see the correct questions. (If you are both a landlord / agent, and a tenant / resident, and you want to take part to answer in both capacities, you can take part in the survey twice.)

Information and Consultation Event
We are holding an event in the Council Chamber at Newcastle Civic Centre on Thursday 21 March 2024 between 6pm to 8pm, where you can find out more about the proposals and have conversations with members of our team. We will share more details about this soon!

Further events will be held in May 2024, some of which will be specifically for landlords and agents, and some for tenants and residents. More information about this will be available here shortly.

If you have any queries about the schemes, the survey or the drop-in event, or you need this information in a different format such as large print, please contact us at: propertylicensing@newcastle.gov.uk or call: 


Please give us your views about this by 29 May 2024.

Introductory Information - Selective Licensing 
A selective licensing scheme means that all private landlords in the area covered by the scheme must have a licence from the Council to rent out property. The aims are to improve the private rented market, because properties must be of a decent standard before landlords can rent them out, and to give tenants more confidence that houses and flats in the area covered by the scheme will be healthy and safe to live in.
There are seven 'selective licensing' areas in Newcastle. All private rented properties within a selective licensing area require a licence unless they are otherwise exempt.
Five areas have been covered by a scheme since April 2020:
  • Cowgate
  • East End Terrace
  • West End Terraces
  • The 'HHRS' area: Howdene Road; part of Howlett Hall Road, Ravenburn Gardens and part of Swinley Gardens in Benwell
  • Scotswood Village 
Two more schemes started in October 2021:
  • Byker Old Town 
  • Greater High Cross
Introductory Information - Additional Licensing
This scheme would cover all HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation) in Newcastle. This means that any privately-rented property which is occupied by three or more people in two or more households with 'shared basic amenities' (such as kitchens and bathrooms) will require a licence.
You can find out more about property licensing schemes in general here.
You can find out more information, including the full details of the evidence we used to identify the need for new property licensing schemes in the Cabinet Report, online here (see p.61): https://tinyurl.com/NCCFeb24CabReport. 
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