LetLens / Licensing by council / North Yorkshire
Landlord licensing in North Yorkshire
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in North Yorkshire let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. North Yorkshire 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 Yorkshire 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£980 for a 5-bedroom HMOband 5-5 occupants
WhereEverywhere in North Yorkshire, as everywhere in England. Scope, fee schedule and source
- What North Yorkshire 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£950 for a 5-bedroom rental£550 base + £100/unit over 1
WhereDesignated area (postcode-resolved), not the whole of North Yorkshire. 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 None in force
WhereNo direction here, so this is normally permitted development. 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 YO61 2QD, a postcode near the centre of North Yorkshire, to see what a full report looks like.
Each scheme in detail, and the evidence behind it
Which properties each scheme catches in North Yorkshire, 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£980band 5-5 occupants
- Where it applies
- National scheme
- Which properties
- 5+ occupants, 2+ households sharing amenities
The published fee schedule
- Size charge
- £30 per occupant above 10
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 2026
| Size | Fee |
|---|---|
| 5 | £980 |
| 6 | £1,085 |
| 7 to 10 | £1,185 |
Additional HMO licensing No scheme
Selective licensing In force
Fee, 5-bed rental£950£550 base + £100/unit over 1
- Where it applies
- Designated area (postcode-resolved)
- Which properties
- All privately rented residential properties in the designated area. HMOs that are (or should be) licensed under mandatory or additional HMO licensing are exempt.
- Designations in force
- Scarborough South
Scarborough Town - Designation period
- 1 May 2022 to 30 April 2027
1 June 2024 to 31 May 2029
Scarborough South covers Weaponness and Ramshill (parts of).
Scarborough Town covers Castle (parts of), Falsgrave and Stepney (parts of), Northstead (parts of).
The published fee schedule for Scarborough South
- Base fee
- £550
- Base fee, paid in two parts
- £180 on application, then £370 when the licence is granted
- Size charge
- £100 per unit above each additional self-contained flat/unit beyond the first in a multi-unit property (GBP 550 for the first unit, GBP 100 per additional flat)
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
Discounts
- Professional/accreditation body membership: £50
- Multiple application discount (after an initial licence application): £50
The published fee schedule for Scarborough Town
- Base fee
- £695
- Base fee, paid in two parts
- £180 on application, then £515 when the licence is granted
- Size charge
- £100 per unit above each additional self-contained flat/unit beyond the first in a multi-unit property (GBP 695 for the first unit, GBP 100 per additional flat)
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
Discounts
- Previously licensed property: £260
- Professional/accreditation body membership: £50
- Early bird (application by 31 August 2024): £50
- Multiple applications: £50
Article 4 and HMO planning permission in North Yorkshire None in force
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in North Yorkshire, so converting a house into a small HMO occupied by no more than six residents (use class C4) is normally permitted development and does not need planning permission on those grounds. An HMO for seven or more residents falls outside class C4 and needs permission anyway.
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 Yorkshire multiplies the exposure rather than capping it.
The letting market in North Yorkshire
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£588 pcmFrom 225 room listings in North Yorkshire.
- Median whole-property rent£1,044 pcmFrom 250 whole-property listings.
- Typical 4-bed rent£1,779 pcmThe comparison a room-by-room let is measured against.
- HMO income premium+65%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£262,500Across 2,294 sales in 2026, all property types, HM Land Registry.
- Gross yield, whole let4.8%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 HMO13.4%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£38,170Mean of net small-area median incomes around the council's main listing areas, not a council-wide median.
- Postcodes with flood exposure9.2%2,191 of 23,941 indexed postcodes.
- Postcodes in Flood Zone 31,053 (4.4%)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.
Room rent by outcode
Room rent varies by £128 a month across North Yorkshire’s outcodes, so the council-wide median above is a starting point rather than the answer for a particular street.
| Outcode | Median room rent | Room listings | Check a postcode |
|---|---|---|---|
| HG1 | £650 pcm | 31 | Check HG1 |
| YO12 | £563 pcm | 33 | Check YO12 |
| YO11 | £539 pcm | 37 | Check YO11 |
| YO8 | £522 pcm | 32 | Check YO8 |
Postcode districts in North Yorkshire
Licensing, Article 4 and the fee all turn on the exact address, because a designated area rarely follows the council boundary. LetLens holds 23,941 North Yorkshire 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 Yorkshire?
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in North Yorkshire let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. North Yorkshire also runs selective licensing, which can bring smaller HMOs, or every private rental, into licensing. Selective licensing covers Designated area (postcode-resolved).
How much does an HMO licence cost in North Yorkshire?
£980 for a five-bedroom, five-person HMO under the mandatory scheme, from the council's published fee schedule. Fee basis: band 5-5 occupants. Larger or smaller properties, and any additional or selective scheme, are priced separately.
Is there an Article 4 direction in North Yorkshire?
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in North Yorkshire, so converting a house into a small HMO occupied by no more than six residents (use class C4) is normally permitted development and does not need planning permission on those grounds. An HMO for seven or more residents falls outside class C4 and needs permission anyway.
Which wards in North Yorkshire are covered by licensing?
Selective licensing under Scarborough South covers Weaponness and Ramshill (parts of). Selective licensing under Scarborough Town covers Castle (parts of), Falsgrave and Stepney (parts of), Northstead (parts of). 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 Yorkshire?
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.
About North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a local housing authority in Yorkshire and The Humber, with a population of about 621,000 and 23,941 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.