Selective licensing in County Durham
What Durham County Council requires of private landlords, alongside the duties that apply everywhere in England.
Licensing in force
The current selective licensing scheme started in April 2022 and runs to 31 March 2027. The council is consulting on a successor scheme covering an estimated 20,000 properties, around 27 per cent of the county; the consultation closed on 12 August 2026.
Sources: Durham County Council: selective licensing consultation news ↗ · Let's Talk County Durham: proposed new scheme ↗
Last checked 2 Aug 2026. Designations change and are street-specific: confirm against the council’s own pages before relying on this, and note that mandatory HMO licensing applies across England regardless of local schemes. This page is not legal advice.
The duties that apply on every street
Licensing is local; most of a landlord’s duties are not. Wherever you let in England, these apply, and each has a free tool.
Written statement of terms
Every tenancy needs one: new tenancies from 1 May 2026, pre-existing ones were due by 31 May 2026. Civil penalty of up to £7,000 per failure; serving late reduces exposure.
Generate one freeDeposit protection
Protect every deposit in a government scheme and serve the prescribed information. Courts can award the tenant 1 to 3 times the deposit when it is missed.
Check your exposureGas safety, electrics and EPC
A gas safety certificate every 12 months, an EICR every 5 years, and an EPC rated E or above (unless exempt), plus smoke and CO alarms checked at tenancy start.
Run the eight-question checkSection 13 rent increases
Since 1 May 2026 every rent increase goes through Section 13: Form 4A, at least 2 months' notice, at most once per 12 months.
Work out your earliest datePRS Database registration
England's national landlord register rolls out region by region, expected from late 2026. Your compliance paperwork is what registration rests on.
Check your readinessEvery duty, tracked per property
Tenurelink turns this list into a dated compliance calendar for each of your properties, with email alerts before anything is due and the PRS rollout tracked for your region. Free while we’re in early access.
Get started free