LetLens / Licensing by council / North Lincolnshire
Landlord licensing in North Lincolnshire
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in North Lincolnshire let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. North Lincolnshire also runs selective licensing, which can bring smaller HMOs, or every private rental, into licensing.
The licence you need turns on who lives in the property. Find the line that describes your let.
- Required by national lawThe same in all 296 English councils. Not a North Lincolnshire decision.
Your propertyLet to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet
You needMandatory HMO licence In force England-wide
It costs£1,063 for a 5-bedroom HMO£1063 base + £92/bedroom over 5
WhereEverywhere in North Lincolnshire, as everywhere in England. Scope, fee schedule and source
- What North Lincolnshire requires on topSchemes this council chose to run, and what differs from the council next door.
Your propertyA smaller shared house the national scheme does not reach, typically 3 or 4 sharers forming 2 or more households
You needNo additional HMO licence No scheme
Your propertyLet privately inside a designated area, whether or not it is an HMO
You needSelective licence In force
It costs£955, the same for a rental of any size
Where2 designated wards, not the whole of North Lincolnshire. Scope, fee schedule and source
- Planning permission, a separate questionNot licensing. Whether you may create an HMO at all, decided by the council’s planning side.
Your planConverting a house (use class C3) into a small HMO (use class C4)
You needPlanning permission Due 26 November 2026
Wherepart of the council area The direction, its dates and its boundary
Each fee is for the example property named on its own line, from the council’s published schedule. Other sizes are priced separately; the full schedules, discounts and surcharges are below.
Or open DN16 1XA, a postcode near the centre of North Lincolnshire, to see what a full report looks like.
What changes next in North Lincolnshire
Already decided, not yet in force. A property bought today is bought into these, so they matter more than the current position if you are still choosing.
- HMO Article 4 direction26 November 2026North Lincolnshire (Scunthorpe) Small HMO Article 4 Direction. From that date, converting a house into a small HMO inside its area needs planning permission.
Each scheme in detail, and the evidence behind it
Which properties each scheme catches in North Lincolnshire, in the council’s own words, with the designations in force, the whole published fee schedule and the source for every figure. The three regimes can stack: a property can need a licence under one and still be caught by another.
Mandatory HMO licensing In force England-wide
Fee, 5-bed HMO£1,063£1063 base + £92/bedroom over 5
- Where it applies
- National scheme
- Which properties
- HMOs rented to 5 or more persons who form 2 or more separate households and share basic amenities (kitchen, bathroom or toilet); mandatory HMO licensing under Part 2 Housing Act 2004
The published fee schedule
- Base fee
- £1,063
- Base fee, paid in two parts
- £595 on application, then £468 when the licence is granted
- Size charge
- £92 per bedroom above 5
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 1 October 2025
Other charges
- Stage 1 (initial processing) fee per extra room over 5: £30
- Stage 2 (ongoing administration) fee per extra room over 5: £62
- Additional fee for incomplete Part A application / missing documentation / incorrect submission (at council discretion): £95
- Officer support for paper applications (per hour): £74
Additional HMO licensing No scheme
Selective licensing In force
Licence fee, any size£955
- Where it applies
- 2 designated wards
- Which properties
- Privately rented dwellings within the designated area (approx. 1,230 private-rented households) that are let to one occupant, a single household (e.g. a family), or two to four unrelated individuals forming two or more households (i.e. non-mandatory HMOs). Properties requiring a Mandatory HMO Licence (5+ persons) are excluded and licensed under the mandatory scheme instead.
- Designations in force
- North Lincolnshire Council Selective Licensing Designation 2024 (Area 1 - Crosby & Park and Town, Scunthorpe)
- Designation period
- 20 March 2025 to 19 March 2030
North Lincolnshire Council Selective Licensing Designation 2024 (Area 1 - Crosby & Park and Town, Scunthorpe) covers Crosby & Park, Town.
The published fee schedule
- Fee
- £955
- Paid in two parts
- £615 on application, then £340 when the licence is granted
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 2025
Other charges
- Additional fee for incomplete application requiring further correspondence: £95
- Failure to pay Part B within the required period: £95
- Officer support for paper applications (per hour): £74
Article 4 and HMO planning permission in North Lincolnshire Due 26 November 2026
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in North Lincolnshire yet, but one is due to take effect on 26 November 2026 if confirmed. Until then the permitted-development right to create a small HMO still applies.
HMO Article 4 direction, part of the council area
- Area
- part of the council area
- Wards
- Crosby and Park, Town, Frodingham, Ashby Central, Ashby Lakeside, Bottesford, Kingsway with Lincoln Gardens, Brumby, part of Burringham and Gunness, Burton Upon Stather and Winterton
- Right removed
- C3 to C4 (small HMO, 3-6 unrelated occupants; GPDO Sch2 Part3 Class L)
- In force from
- 26 November 2026
- Status
- confirmed_not_yet_in_force
A licence is not planning permission
These are two separate consents from two separate parts of the council, and getting one does not give you the other. A licensing team can grant an HMO licence for a property that needed planning permission and never got it.
Where the permission was needed and is missing, the usual consequence lands on the licence. Councils commonly grant a short licence, often twelve months rather than the full term, to give the owner time to apply. If permission is not applied for, is refused, or an appeal fails, the council will generally refuse to extend and let the licence expire, and will generally refuse a fresh application outright once permission has been finally refused. At that point the property cannot lawfully be let as an HMO at all.
This is council practice rather than a statutory rule, and it varies, so confirm it with North Lincolnshire before you rely on it. Nottingham City Council publishes its version explicitly and is quoted here as a worked example of the approach.
The research note behind this verdict
What happens if you let without a licence
Letting or managing an unlicensed property that needs a licence is a criminal offence, under section 72 of the Housing Act 2004 for an HMO and section 95 for a property caught by selective licensing. A council can prosecute, or impose a civil penalty instead. For conduct on or after 1 May 2026 that penalty can be up to £40,000 per offence, raised from £30,000 by the Financial Penalties (Housing Offences and Breach of Banning Orders) Regulations 2026. Tenants and the council can also apply for a rent repayment order, which for conduct from the same date can claw back up to two years of rent, up from one, under section 103 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
Both of those maxima apply only to conduct on or after 1 May 2026. Earlier conduct is still judged against the old £30,000 and twelve-month limits. Each breach is normally penalised separately, so an unlicensed portfolio in North Lincolnshire multiplies the exposure rather than capping it.
The letting market in North Lincolnshire
Licensing is only one side of the sum. These are medians from real listings we have collected, with the number of listings behind each one, because a median over a handful of adverts is a different claim from a median over hundreds.
- Median room rent£542 pcmFrom 56 room listings in North Lincolnshire.
- Median whole-property rent£826 pcmFrom 110 whole-property listings.
- Typical 4-bed rent£1,136 pcmThe comparison a room-by-room let is measured against.
- HMO income premium+139%Five rooms let individually against one four-bedroom whole-property let, before the extra cost, licensing and voids that come with an HMO.
- Median sale price£175,000Across 566 sales in 2026, all property types, HM Land Registry.
- Gross yield, whole let5.7%Median whole-property rent for a year against the median sale price. Before voids, management, repairs, licensing and finance, all of which a real return has to carry.
- Gross yield, 5-room HMO18.6%Five rooms at the median room rent against the same median sale price. The higher figure is what pays for the licence, the extra management and the higher voids, rather than being profit on top of them.
- Typical household income£34,393Mean of net small-area median incomes around the council's main listing areas, not a council-wide median.
- Postcodes with flood exposure15.3%746 of 4,870 indexed postcodes.
- Postcodes in Flood Zone 3699 (14.4%)The Environment Agency's highest-probability zone. Lenders and insurers ask about this one by name, and it is a subset of the exposure above.
Postcode districts in North Lincolnshire
Licensing, Article 4 and the fee all turn on the exact address, because a designated area rarely follows the council boundary. LetLens holds 4,870 North Lincolnshire postcodes. Open one of its postcode districts to see the verdict, the local rent evidence and the investment model.
Common questions
Do I need an HMO licence in North Lincolnshire?
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in North Lincolnshire let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. North Lincolnshire also runs selective licensing, which can bring smaller HMOs, or every private rental, into licensing. Selective licensing covers 2 designated wards.
How much does an HMO licence cost in North Lincolnshire?
£1,063 for a five-bedroom, five-person HMO under the mandatory scheme, from the council's published fee schedule. Fee basis: £1063 base + £92/bedroom over 5. Larger or smaller properties, and any additional or selective scheme, are priced separately.
Is there an Article 4 direction in North Lincolnshire?
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in North Lincolnshire yet, but one is due to take effect on 26 November 2026 if confirmed. Until then the permitted-development right to create a small HMO still applies.
Which wards in North Lincolnshire are covered by licensing?
Selective licensing under North Lincolnshire Council Selective Licensing Designation 2024 (Area 1 - Crosby & Park and Town, Scunthorpe) covers Crosby & Park, Town. A designation can cover only part of a named ward, so check the exact address rather than relying on the ward name alone.
What is the penalty for letting an unlicensed property in North Lincolnshire?
Letting or managing a property that needs a licence without one is a criminal offence under the Housing Act 2004. The council can prosecute or impose a civil penalty, which for conduct on or after 1 May 2026 can be up to £40,000 per offence, raised from £30,000 by the Financial Penalties (Housing Offences and Breach of Banning Orders) Regulations 2026. Tenants or the council can also seek a rent repayment order covering up to two years of rent for conduct from that date, up from one year, under section 103 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Each breach is normally penalised separately. Indicative only, not legal advice.
Do I need planning permission for an HMO in North Lincolnshire?
Where an Article 4 direction applies, yes: it removes the permitted-development right to change a house (use class C3) into a small HMO (use class C4), so that change needs a planning application. An HMO for seven or more residents needs permission anywhere, Article 4 or not. Planning is separate from licensing, and a licence does not give you permission. Where permission was needed and not obtained, councils commonly grant a licence for about twelve months rather than the full term, and generally refuse to extend it if permission is not then granted, which leaves the property unable to be let as an HMO. Practice varies by council, so confirm it with North Lincolnshire.
About North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a local housing authority in Yorkshire and The Humber, with a population of about 173,000 and 4,870 live postcodes indexed by LetLens. It is the licensing authority for every private rented property inside its boundary, and the local planning authority that decides whether an Article 4 direction applies.
Nearby councils
Licensing stops at the council boundary, so a street on the other side of it can carry a different scheme and a different fee.
Contact North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire licensing team · [email protected] · 01724 297000