Newcastle upon Tyne: landlord licensing
Newcastle upon Tyne operates discretionary property licensing. Here is what is in force, what is coming, and how to check whether your property is affected.
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Active selective licensing
Selective licensing applies to ordinary private rented homes (not just HMOs) within a designated area.
Selective licensing
activeByker Old Town (~533 properties) and Greater High Cross / Benwell (~325 properties). Original designation, expires 30 Sep 2026.
- Dates
- 1 Oct 2021 – 30 Sept 2026
- Approx. fee
- £1,000
- Wards / areas
- Byker, Elswick, Benwell & Scotswood
- Designated streets
- 5
Show the 5 designated streets
Transcribed from the council's published designation. Where only part of a street is covered, the house numbers are shown exactly as the council writes them.
- Allendale Road (63-189)
- Bird Nest Road (1-7)
- Chatsworth Gardens
- Irthing Avenue
- Relton Avenue
Official local authority licensing designation
Selective licensing
activeSix-area scheme launched 5 April 2025 (partial ward coverage): Cowgate, West End Terraces, parts of Benwell, Lemington, Denton Court, Columbia Grange.
- Dates
- 5 Apr 2025 – 5 Apr 2030
- Approx. fee
- £900
- Wards / areas
- Arthur's Hill, Benwell & Scotswood, Blakelaw, Elswick, Kenton, Lemington, West Fenham, Wingrove
- Designated streets
- 144
Show the 144 designated streets
Transcribed from the council's published designation. Where only part of a street is covered, the house numbers are shown exactly as the council writes them.
- Aspen Terrace
- Chestnut Avenue
- Deepdale Crescent (2-40 even only)
- Eastern Way (2-6 even only and 7-54 all numbers)
- Fouracres Road
- Greenhill View
- Harehills Avenue (8-46 even only)
- Heathfield Crescent
- High Moor Court
- Hillsleigh Road (2-58 even only)
- Link Road
- Mayfield Terrace
- Meadowdale Crescent (1-23 odd only)
- Ponteland Road (58-252 even only and Moorside Court)
- Rose Terrace
- The Dales
- Whinmoor Place
- Whitethorn Crescent
- Howdene Road
- Howlett Hall Road (2-46 even only)
- Ravenburn Gardens
- Swinley Gardens (7-42 all numbers, 43-69 odd only)
- Agricola Road
- Axbridge Gardens
- Barnesbury Road
- Beaconsfield Street (2-100 even only, 103-319 odd only and number 314)
- Beech Street
- Belsay Place
- Bentinck Road
- Benwell Grove
- Bishops Avenue
- Brancepeth Avenue
- Brighton Grove
- Callerton Place
- Canning Street
- Chelsea Grove
- Clifton Road (51-53 odd only and 54-116 even only)
- Cliftonville Avenue
- Clovelly Avenue
- Colston Street
- Condercum Road (42-324 even only)
- Cookson Street
- Coventry Gardens
- Crossley Terrace
- Croydon Road
- Curtis Road (1 and 2)
- Dilston Road
- Dipton Avenue
- Durham Street
- Eastgate Gardens
- Ellesmere Road
- Elliott Terrace
- Elswick Road (297-315 odd only, 322-326 even only and 462-508 even only)
- Fairholm Road
- Farndale Road
- Fenham Road
- Gainsborough Grove
- Glebe Street
- Grainger Park Road (3-19 all numbers and 37-71 all numbers)
- Graingerville North
- Hadrian Road (1-9 odd only)
- Hampstead Road
- Hartington Street
- Hull Street
- Keldane Gardens
- Kingsley Terrace
- Ladykirk Road
- Longley Street
- Mill Lane (numbers 262 and 264 only)
- Normanton Terrace
- Normount Avenue
- Normount Gardens
- Normount Road
- Northcote Street
- Nuns Moor Road (2-46 all numbers and 47-55 odd only)
- Portland Street
- Philip Street
- Prospect Place (7-43 odd only)
- Sceptre Street
- Severus Road (1-22 all numbers)
- Sidney Grove
- Stanhope Street (257-294 all numbers)
- Stanton Street
- Strathmore Crescent
- Studley Terrace
- Tamworth Road
- Tiverton Avenue
- Tweed Street
- Ventnor Avenue
- Walter Terrace (7-20 all numbers)
- Wellesley Terrace
- Wellfield Road
- West Road (1-75 odd only)
- Western Avenue (2-40 all numbers)
- Western Drive
- Westgate Road (South View and 368-585 all numbers)
- Wingrove Avenue
- Wingrove Gardens (7-139 odd only and 38-138 even only)
- Wingrove Road (1-179 all numbers)
- Columbia Grange (1-20 all numbers)
- Denton Court (1-24 all numbers)
- Algernon Road
- Aln Grove (2-8 even only)
- Beanley Avenue
- Bennett Court (1-17 all numbers)
- Blyth Court (2-12 even only)
- Charlton Street
- Charlton Mews (1-5 all numbers)
- Dene Gardens
- Denton Avenue (2-22 even only)
- Denwick Avenue
- Dunnock Court
- Eva Street
- Farnham Close
- Farnham Mews
- Farnham Street (1-11 all numbers)
- Fernwood Road (1-11 all numbers and 17,17A and 19)
- Gladstone Street
- Hulne Terrace
- Ingoe Street
- Johnson Street
- Lesbury Street
- Loraine Terrace
- Maud Street
- Montague Street
- The Hastings, Northumberland Road
- Northumberland Road
- Orchard Terrace
- Percy Street (1A only)
- Rokeby Avenue (1-9 odd only)
- Rokeby Street
- Rokeby Villas (1-11 odd only)
- Shipley Street
- Store Street
- Sugley Street
- Sugley Villas (1-10 all numbers)
- The Orchard
- Tyne View
- Tynevale Terrace
- Union Hall Road (1-46 all numbers and 47-55 odd only)
- Warkworth Street
- Wellington Street
- West View
- Woodburn Street
Official local authority licensing designation
Active additional (HMO) licensing
Additional licensing extends HMO licensing to smaller shared houses (typically 3-4 sharers) that fall below the mandatory threshold.
Additional (HMO) licensing
activeCity-wide additional HMO licensing (smaller HMOs occupied by 3+ people in 2+ households). Replaced the previous 2020 designation.
- Dates
- 5 Apr 2025 – 5 Apr 2030
- Approx. fee
- £1,000-£1,100
Official local authority licensing designation
Upcoming schemes
Selective licensing
upcomingByker Old Town, Allendale Road and Greater High Cross renewal scheme. Designated 24 Feb 2026, in force 1 Oct 2026 (replaces expiring 2021-2026 scheme).
- Dates
- 30 Sept 2026 – 29 Sept 2031
- Approx. fee
- £1,000
- Wards / areas
- Byker, Elswick, Benwell & Scotswood
- Designated streets
- 59
Show the 59 designated streets
Transcribed from the council's published designation. Where only part of a street is covered, the house numbers are shown exactly as the council writes them.
- Adelaide Terrace (41-133 odds)
- Alford Lane
- Angel View
- Armstrong Road (2-66 evens and 304-342 evens)
- Atherton Drive
- Atkinson Road
- Benwell Close
- Benwell Grange Avenue
- Benwell Grange Road
- Benwell Grange Terrace
- Benwell Lane (3 (The Vicarage))
- Bilbrough Gardens
- Bishops Road
- Caroline Court
- Clara Street
- Egerton Street
- Elswick Road (337-387 odds)
- Ethel Street
- Gerald Street
- Hodgkin Park Crescent
- Hodgkin Park Road
- Hugh Gardens
- Joan Street
- Lawson Terrace
- Macdonald Road
- Maria Street
- Provost Gardens
- Saint James Crescent
- Saint Johns Road (75-117 odds)
- South Benwell Road (45,46,48,50,52,54, and 100)
- Wishart House
- Ada Street
- Alfred Street
- Allendale Road (31-189 odds)
- Benson Road
- Birds Nest Road (1-7 odds)
- Blount Street (15 and 17)
- Bothal Street (13-83 odds)
- Brook Street (70-74 evens, 71-76 odds)
- Canterbury Street
- Chatsworth Gardens
- Cleadon Street
- Cresswell Street
- Cullercoats Street
- Dunmorlie Street
- Emily Street
- Gillies Street
- Grace Street
- Harriet Street
- Irthing Avenue
- Manor House Close (2-8 evens, 1-9 odds)
- Morton Street
- Relton Avenue
- Renwick Street
- Roman Avenue (98-152 evens)
- Scarborough Court
- Scarborough Road
- Tunstall Avenue (1-59 odds, 2-60 evens)
- Welbeck Road (9-337 odds, 408-474 evens)
Official local authority licensing designation
Mandatory HMO licensing (applies everywhere)
Regardless of local schemes, any property in Newcastle upon Tyne let to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a mandatory HMO licence under the Housing Act 2004. Licences last up to 5 years and the fee is set by the council.
Penalties for operating unlicensed
- Civil penalty of up to £40,000 per offence (raised from £30,000 on 1 May 2026).
- Rent Repayment Order of up to 24 months' rent, claimable by the tenant.
- Unlimited fine on criminal prosecution, plus possible banning order.
- Once the national PRS Database is live, unregistered landlords can be blocked from regaining possession.
Notes
Older Byker/High Cross selective schemes are partial-ward; check street boundaries on council maps.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a landlord licence in Newcastle upon Tyne?
Newcastle upon Tyne operates 2 selective licensing scheme(s) and 1 additional (HMO) licensing scheme(s). Whether your specific property needs a licence depends on its exact location and how it is let. Separately, mandatory HMO licensing still applies, to any property let to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households.
What is the penalty for an unlicensed property in Newcastle upon Tyne?
Operating a licensable property without a licence can lead to a civil penalty of up to £40,000 per offence, a Rent Repayment Order of up to 24 months' rent, an unlimited fine on prosecution, and a banning order for serious or repeat offenders.
Can a tenant in Newcastle upon Tyne claim rent back from an unlicensed landlord?
Yes. Letting a property that required a licence, without one, is an offence under section 72(1) or section 95(1) of the Housing Act 2004, and a tenant can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a Rent Repayment Order of up to 24 months' rent for offences committed on or after 1 May 2026. No conviction is needed first, but the tribunal must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the offence was committed, and the application must be made within two years of it. Tribunals award a percentage of the rent rather than the maximum, following the method in Acheampong v Roman [2022] UKUT 239 (LC).
Does your property need a licence?
Enter your postcode for an instant free check of every scheme that could apply.
Free scheme check · £7.99 for the full property report
Renting in Newcastle upon Tyne?
If your home needed a licence and did not have one, you may be able to claim rent back
A Rent Repayment Order can be up to 24 months' rent, you apply to the tribunal yourself, and your landlord does not need to have been prosecuted. The deadline is two years from the offence.
🏛️ Government-backed data: built from official local authority licensing designations, ONS council boundaries and UK housing legislation (Housing Act 2004), verified as of July 2026. PRSCheck is an information service, not legal advice. Many schemes are designated at street or part-ward level; the paid report confirms the exact boundary and official source for your address. Browse all councils.