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Licensing in Blackburn with Darwen

Blackburn with Darwen has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

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Check an address in Blackburn with Darwen

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Licensing, ward by ward

Select a ward to see its name and licensing.

  • National rules only17

Current ward boundaries from ONS. Some homes are exempt, so check your postcode and the scheme details below.

Selective licensing
None
Additional HMO licensing
No
Article 4 on house shares
Yes
Consultation
None open

Licensing schemes

  • Mandatory HMO licence

    In force

    Mandatory HMO licensing (Blackburn with Darwen fees)

    Area

    Whole borough of Blackburn with Darwen (national scheme).

    Fee

    Published standard fee: £950

    Council page: 'HMO licences are £950 for up to 10 lets, and £50 per let after that', paid as part of the online application. No date is shown for the fee.

    Who needs one
    Rented properties occupied by five or more unrelated people who share facilities such as a kitchen, toilet or bathroom (national mandatory test: two or more households).
    Apply on the council’s website
    How we checked this

    New HMOs must have applied for planning permission first (the application asks for the planning reference), reflecting the borough's urban-area Article 4 direction. Applicants must upload DBS certificates dated within the last 3 months and gas, electrical and fire safety certificates dated within 12 months. Renewals must be applied for at least 12 weeks before expiry. The page still cites a £30,000 civil penalty maximum.

    Sources

Article 4 for house shares

Blackburn with Darwen has an Article 4 direction on HMOs (houses in multiple occupation, or shared houses). Turning a family home into a shared house may need planning permission.

Area
All urban areas of the borough, as shown on the direction plan (C3 to C4). It replaced the 2013 direction that covered selected wards.
Takes effect
9 Aug 2023

Council source

Civil penalty policy

The council's policy sets how it decides the size of a fine.

The mandatory HMO page links an 'HMO civil penalty protocol' and cites civil penalties of up to £30,000. Council news (The Shuttle, 3 September 2026) says the Housing Standards Team has a new Housing Standards Enforcement Policy covering powers 'including those introduced through the Renters' Rights Act'; the policy document itself was not retrieved (the council website was disrupted by a cyber security incident from 22 October 2026). On 26 October 2026 the linked protocol URL returned HTTP 404, so its content could not be checked.

Blackburn with Darwen's civil penalty policy

Consultations

We found no consultations when we researched Blackburn with Darwen.

Not yet confirmed

We could not settle these points when we researched Blackburn with Darwen. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

  • Not yet confirmed

    No selective or additional licensing scheme is in force. The 2024 consultation (7 May to 26 July 2024) on a 'Hollins Bank' selective licensing area across Ewood and Mill Hill & Moorgate wards (and a small part of Blackburn Central) was postponed: Cllr Quesir Mahmood approved 'the recommendation to postpone declaring a selective licensing area' (reported 5 March 2025, Property Industry Eye). Earlier Griffin/Mill Hill and Infirmary schemes had ended before 2024. The council's former selective licensing URL now returns 'page not found'; the official decision record was not retrieved.

  • Not yet confirmed

    The new Housing Standards Enforcement Policy (announced 3 September 2026) and any civil penalty matrix under the Renters' Rights Act were not retrieved; confirm the current penalty policy.

  • Not yet confirmed

    The HMO licence term is not stated on the council page.

  • Not yet confirmed

    The Article 4 effective date (9 August 2023) comes from the 20 July 2023 Council Forum report, which says the direction would become effective on that date 'subject to Council Forum approval'; the meeting's minutes and a current council Article 4 page were not retrieved.

Landlord register

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Blackburn with Darwen is in North West, where registration is planned from 15 May 2027 to 14 August 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register