Newcastle City Council are to introduce additional licencing requirements on all privately rented property in the Newcastle area (including the City Centre, Jesmond, Gosforth, Quayside), meaning that any property that has three or more occupants comprising two or more households will require a licence from the council. The new scheme will come into force on Monday 6th April 2020 and is a mandatory requirement from the council which can result in criminal prosecution for the landlord if a licence is not sought and granted.

If you let a property to a couple and a sharer, then this falls into the requirements (the couple would be classed as one household, and the sharer as a second household). If you have 3 or more single sharers in a property, this also falls into the requirements.

A family comprising 3 people is classed as a single household, so would therefore not require a licence.

The requirements of the licence are set by the council and include providing safety records, copies of tenancy agreements etc. The cost of a licence will be £750 per property, payable directly to Newcastle City Council.

For further information, please click here to visit the Newcastle City Council website.