Licensing in Gateshead

• Selective licence

  In force

  Selective licensing — phase 1 (2025 designation)

  Area

  Eight designated LSOA neighbourhoods only: Bensham North/Windmill Hills (008A), Bensham Central and West (008F), The Avenues (010A), Bensham South/Avenues North (010B), Bensham West/Avenues (010C), Beacon Lough East (021B), Birtley/Birtley Industrial (026D) and Chopwell North (029C).

  Runs

  1 June 2025 to 30 May 2030

  Fee

  Published standard fee: £850

  The current property-licensing fee page quotes £850: £510 Part A on application and £340 Part B after the decision to grant; the final licence is not issued until payment in full. Part A is retained on refusal or withdrawal. A £75 accreditation or qualifying membership discount comes from Part B, and £10 is available on simultaneous second and subsequent applications under the same ownership/control. The £75 selective early-bird discount applied before the phase start: the 2026/27 schedule gives 1 March–31 May 2025 for phase 1 and 1 July–30 September 2025 for phase 2, so it is not a currently available general discount. Discounts can be lost after two requests for supporting documents or a warning letter for failure to license. Specified schemes include accredited NRLA, UKALA and Safeagent, and members of ARLA Propertymark, RICS, the Guild of Letting and Management, Guild of Property Professionals and GPLA. Paper application £50; an incomplete application may add £25. Confirm discounts and case-specific charges before payment.

  Who needs one

  Privately rented residential property let or occupied by a single person, two sharers or one household within the designated area, unless exempt.

  Exemptions

  Statutory exemptions and temporary exemptions may apply. A property requiring mandatory HMO licensing is not required to obtain an additional or selective licence. Check the correct licence type and any exemption with the council.

  Apply on the council’s websiteLicence conditionsCouncil's map or designation
  ›How we checked this

  The public notice says phase 1 comes into force on 1 June 2025 and shall cease to have effect on 31 May 2030. Its last operative day is therefore 30 May 2030. Summary pages instead describe the scheme as running until 31 May; the notice wording is retained here. Cabinet approved the designation on 18 February 2025. The public notice is dated 19 February 2025. The designated neighbourhoods are smaller than wards: neither a matching ward nor a street name alone proves coverage. Ask the council to check the property against the designation map or its address checker. The February 2025 Cabinet pack includes maps and address lists; do not treat an entire street as designated from a partial list. The current web table repeats 003B in the Derwentwater West row; the Cabinet pack identifies that neighbourhood as 008E. No later replacement, revocation, approved expansion or new live licensing consultation was established by targeted council and committee searches. The notice contains historical penalty and section 21 wording which should not be used as the current law. Individual licences are not transferable between properties or holders; a new responsible manager may need a new application. The issued licence determines the conditions and actual expiry.

  Sources

  • gateshead.gov.uk: Public notice
  • gateshead.gov.uk: Designation of selective and additional houses in multiple occupation HMO licensing
  • gateshead.gov.uk: Apply for a licence
  • gateshead.gov.uk: Fees and charges
  • gateshead.moderngov.co.uk: Public reports pack 18th Feb 2025 10.00 Cabinet (PDF)
  • gateshead.moderngov.co.uk: Public reports pack 26th Feb 2026 14.30 Council (PDF)
  • gateshead.gov.uk: Expired selective landlord licensing schemes
  • gateshead.gov.uk: Evaluation of Avenues 1 and 2

• Selective licence

  In force

  Selective licensing — phase 2 (2025 designation)

  Area

  Eight designated LSOA neighbourhoods only: North Felling/Felling Shore Industrial (003B), Derwentwater East (008C), Derwentwater West/Racecourse Estate (008E), Swalwell North/Metro Centre (009A), Kelvin Grove (010D), Felling Falla Park (012A), Sunderland Road (027B) and Shipcote (028B).

  Runs

  1 October 2025 to 29 September 2030

  Fee

  Published standard fee: £850

  The current property-licensing fee page quotes £850: £510 Part A on application and £340 Part B after the decision to grant; the final licence is not issued until payment in full. Part A is retained on refusal or withdrawal. A £75 accreditation or qualifying membership discount comes from Part B, and £10 is available on simultaneous second and subsequent applications under the same ownership/control. The £75 selective early-bird discount applied before the phase start: the 2026/27 schedule gives 1 March–31 May 2025 for phase 1 and 1 July–30 September 2025 for phase 2, so it is not a currently available general discount. Discounts can be lost after two requests for supporting documents or a warning letter for failure to license. Specified schemes include accredited NRLA, UKALA and Safeagent, and members of ARLA Propertymark, RICS, the Guild of Letting and Management, Guild of Property Professionals and GPLA. Paper application £50; an incomplete application may add £25. Confirm discounts and case-specific charges before payment.

  Who needs one

  Privately rented residential property let or occupied by a single person, two sharers or one household within the designated area, unless exempt.

  Exemptions

  Statutory exemptions and temporary exemptions may apply. A property requiring mandatory HMO licensing is not required to obtain an additional or selective licence. Check the correct licence type and any exemption with the council.

  Apply on the council’s websiteLicence conditionsCouncil's map or designation
  ›How we checked this

  The public notice says phase 2 comes into force on 1 October 2025 and shall cease to have effect on 30 September 2030. Its last operative day is therefore 29 September 2030. Summary pages instead describe the scheme as running until 30 September; the notice wording is retained here. Cabinet approved the designation on 18 February 2025. The public notice is dated 19 February 2025. The designated neighbourhoods are smaller than wards: neither a matching ward nor a street name alone proves coverage. Ask the council to check the property against the designation map or its address checker. The February 2025 Cabinet pack includes maps and address lists; do not treat an entire street as designated from a partial list. The current web table repeats 003B in the Derwentwater West row; the Cabinet pack identifies that neighbourhood as 008E. No later replacement, revocation, approved expansion or new live licensing consultation was established by targeted council and committee searches. The notice contains historical penalty and section 21 wording which should not be used as the current law. Individual licences are not transferable between properties or holders; a new responsible manager may need a new application. The issued licence determines the conditions and actual expiry.

  Sources

  • gateshead.gov.uk: Public notice
  • gateshead.gov.uk: Designation of selective and additional houses in multiple occupation HMO licensing
  • gateshead.gov.uk: Apply for a licence
  • gateshead.gov.uk: Fees and charges
  • gateshead.moderngov.co.uk: Public reports pack 18th Feb 2025 10.00 Cabinet (PDF)
  • gateshead.moderngov.co.uk: Public reports pack 26th Feb 2026 14.30 Council (PDF)
  • gateshead.gov.uk: Expired selective landlord licensing schemes
  • gateshead.gov.uk: Evaluation of Avenues 1 and 2

• Additional HMO licence

  In force

  Additional HMO licensing — all 16 designated neighbourhoods (2025 designation)

  Area

  The union of both selective-licensing phases, not the whole borough. Phase 1 neighbourhoods: Bensham North/Windmill Hills (008A), Bensham Central and West (008F), The Avenues (010A), Bensham South/Avenues North (010B), Bensham West/Avenues (010C), Beacon Lough East (021B), Birtley/Birtley Industrial (026D) and Chopwell North (029C). Phase 2 neighbourhoods: North Felling/Felling Shore Industrial (003B), Derwentwater East (008C), Derwentwater West/Racecourse Estate (008E), Swalwell North/Metro Centre (009A), Kelvin Grove (010D), Felling Falla Park (012A), Sunderland Road (027B) and Shipcote (028B).

  Runs

  1 June 2025 to 30 May 2030

  Fee

  Not yet confirmed

  The current fee page gives £976.30 (£585.80 Part A and £390.50 Part B). The 2026/27 Council schedule prints £585.50 Part A and £390.50 Part B, a 30p discrepancy. Confirm the applicable total and split before payment; no reconciled standard amount is selected. The current fee page gives a £75 qualifying accreditation/membership discount from Part B and £10 for simultaneous second and subsequent properties. It does not offer the selective early-bird discount to additional licences. Part A is retained on refusal or withdrawal; the final licence follows full payment. Other fees and discount restrictions are listed on the same page.

  Who needs one

  HMOs within the designated neighbourhoods occupied by three or four people in two or more households who share one or more basic amenities, outside mandatory HMO licensing, unless exempt.

  Exemptions

  Statutory exemptions and temporary exemptions may apply. A property requiring mandatory HMO licensing is not required to obtain an additional or selective licence. Check the correct licence type and any exemption with the council.

  Apply on the council’s websiteCouncil's map or designation
  ›How we checked this

  The legal notice applies additional licensing to three- or four-person shared HMOs and does not establish licensing of section 257 converted blocks. It starts on 1 June 2025 across all 16 neighbourhoods, including those whose selective phase starts in October. The notice says it shall cease to have effect on 31 May 2030, so the last operative day is 30 May 2030. No whole-borough additional coverage is inferred. Cabinet approved the designation on 18 February 2025. The public notice is dated 19 February 2025. The designated neighbourhoods are smaller than wards: neither a matching ward nor a street name alone proves coverage. Ask the council to check the property against the designation map or its address checker. The February 2025 Cabinet pack includes maps and address lists; do not treat an entire street as designated from a partial list. The current web table repeats 003B in the Derwentwater West row; the Cabinet pack identifies that neighbourhood as 008E. No later replacement, revocation, approved expansion or new live licensing consultation was established by targeted council and committee searches. The notice contains historical penalty and section 21 wording which should not be used as the current law. Individual licences are not transferable between properties or holders; a new responsible manager may need a new application. The issued licence determines the conditions and actual expiry.

  Sources

  • gateshead.gov.uk: Public notice
  • gateshead.gov.uk: Designation of selective and additional houses in multiple occupation HMO licensing
  • gateshead.gov.uk: Apply for a licence
  • gateshead.gov.uk: Fees and charges
  • gateshead.moderngov.co.uk: Public reports pack 18th Feb 2025 10.00 Cabinet (PDF)
  • gateshead.moderngov.co.uk: Public reports pack 26th Feb 2026 14.30 Council (PDF)
  • gateshead.gov.uk: Expired selective landlord licensing schemes
  • gateshead.gov.uk: Evaluation of Avenues 1 and 2

• Mandatory HMO licence

  In forceMedium confidence

  Mandatory HMO licensing

  Area

  Whole Gateshead Council area; the optional licensing schemes cover only named neighbourhoods within it.

  Fee

  Not yet confirmed

  Current council sources disagree. The HMO web page quotes £976.30 up to 14 bedrooms (£585.80 Part A and £390.50 Part B), and £1,063.60 for 15 or more (£638.60 and £425). The 2026/27 Council fee schedule instead gives £1,099.68 and £1,198.01; renewals £966.54 and £1,064.99; variation £210.97. The preceding 2025/26 schedule is also different. The Council meeting of 26 February 2026 considered approval of the 2026/27 schedule, but its resolution text retains a 2025/26 year reference. The current HMO web renewal row is internally inconsistent: £514.20 plus £343.90 is printed alongside a £976.30 total. No single current standard amount or Part A/B split is selected pending council confirmation. The policy approved in July 2025 allows accreditation and simultaneous multi-property discounts from Part B; the web page specifies £10 for simultaneous second and subsequent properties. Discounts may be unavailable after council intervention or for a licence shorter than five years.

  Who needs one

  HMOs occupied by five or more people forming two or more households who share basic amenities, regardless of the number of storeys, subject to statutory exclusions.

  Exemptions

  The current mandatory licensing policy excludes purpose-built flats in blocks containing three or more self-contained flats from its self-contained-flat test. Other statutory exclusions and temporary exemptions may apply. The general HMO definition is wider than mandatory licensing; a section 257 converted block does not automatically require a mandatory licence as a building. Ask the council to assess unusual buildings or individual shared flats.

  Apply on the council’s websiteLicence conditions
  ›How we checked this

  The council publishes the five-person/two-household threshold. Cabinet on 15 July 2025 approved the updated mandatory HMO policy, including conditions and discounts aligned with additional licensing. Maximum duration is five years; management or condition concerns, late application or council intervention can result in a shorter licence without a proportional fee reduction. Part A is payable with the application; the policy says Part B follows the notice of intent to grant, while the older web fee table refers to grant. The actual issued licence and payment request should be checked.

  Sources

  • gateshead.gov.uk: About houses of multiple occupation
  • gateshead.moderngov.co.uk: Mandatory Licensing B (PDF)
  • gateshead.moderngov.co.uk: Public minutes 15th Jul 2025 10.00 Cabinet (PDF)
  • gateshead.moderngov.co.uk: Public reports pack 26th Feb 2026 14.30 Council (PDF)
  • gateshead.moderngov.co.uk: ieListDocuments

Council source

Gateshead's civil penalty policy

We found no consultations when we researched Gateshead.

We could not settle these points when we researched Gateshead on 15 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

• Not yet confirmed

  Reconcile mandatory HMO current fees and Part A/B split between the live HMO page and the 2026/27 Council schedule, including renewal arithmetic, the resolution’s retained 2025/26 year reference and any later corrections. Confirm accreditation discount amounts actually applied.

• Not yet confirmed

  Reconcile the 30p difference in the additional HMO application fee between the live page and the 2026/27 schedule.

• Not yet confirmed

  Check the exact address against the final designation maps and address checker. The designated LSOA/neighbourhood areas must not be expanded to whole wards or whole streets. Confirm the operative boundary vintage and the corrected 008E web-table row.

• Not yet confirmed

  Obtain the current complete selective and additional issued licence conditions and any later amendment, revocation or expansion. The older Avenues phases ended by April 2025, outside the recent-expiry window; do not confuse their boundaries and fees with the 2025 schemes.

• Not yet confirmed

  Confirm any made or confirmed HMO Article 4 direction or current proposal after the published conservation-only material; absence of a recovered instrument is not definitive absence.

• Not yet confirmed

  Obtain the adopted RRA civil-penalty policy or any delegated amendment after the July 2025 predecessor, including operative date and offence-date transition.

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. Gateshead is in North East, where registration is planned from 15 June 2027 to 14 September 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register