Blackpool · Council area
Blackpool Council (Central wards): landlord licensing 2026
- Reviewed
- Council
- Official page
In force here
Licensing in Blackpool Council (Central wards)
Schemes are designated for a fixed period and are redesignated, widened or dropped. Treat this as the shape of the local regime and confirm the current designation on the council’s own licensing page before you let.
- The designation was made on 20 February 2024 under section 80 of the Housing Act 2004 and confirmed by the Secretary of State on 15 November 2024
- It came into force on 1 April 2025 and ceases to have effect on 31 March 2030
- It covers the wards of Bloomfield, Brunswick, Claremont, Talbot, Tyldesley, Victoria and Warbreck
- Inside a designation, other than very limited exceptions, all privately rented properties need a licence
- Properties exempted by the Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006, and lets by a registered social landlord, are outside the scheme
- Selective licensing only covers what mandatory and additional HMO licensing do not
Enforcement
The council states that failure to hold a licence is an offence carrying a fine of any amount on conviction, or civil penalties of up to £40,000 imposed by the authority instead.
National duties
The duties that apply here whatever the council does
A licence sits on top of these, it does not replace them. Renewal cycles and maximum penalties are the same in every England council area.
| Duty | Renewal | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Gas SafetyGas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 | Every 12 months | Unlimited fine + up to 2 years in prison |
| EICRElectrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 | Every 5 years | £40,000 per property |
| EPCEnergy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 | Every 10 years / on new tenancy | £5,000 per property |
| DepositHousing Act 2004, as amended by the Localism Act 2011 | 30 days from receipt | 1-3× deposit as damages |
| Right to RentImmigration Act 2014, amended by Immigration Act 2016 | Before tenancy starts | Up to £20,000 per occupant |
| Section 8Housing Act 1988, s.8 (as amended by Renters’ Rights Act 2025) | When seeking possession | Possession refused if compliance missing |
| RRA 2025Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Royal Assent 27 Oct 2025; principal commencement 1 May 2026) | Phase-in from 1 May 2026 | £7,000 → £40,000 (serious/repeat) + unlimited criminal |
Each row links to the full duty: what it obliges you to do, what happens when it is missed and the practical way to stay on top of it. Read the national guide.
If you get it wrong
What letting without a licence costs
These are statutory, not local. A council that has designated a scheme can use all three, and a tenant can bring the second one without the council being involved at all.
- Civil penalty
- Up to £40,000Imposed by the council itself, without a prosecution. Serious or repeated breaches sit at the top of the range.
- Rent Repayment Order
- Up to 2 years’ rentThe tenant, or the council, applies to the First-tier Tribunal to have rent paid back. It is separate from the penalty above, not instead of it.
- Prosecution
- Unlimited fineLetting an unlicensed HMO, or breaching a licence condition, is a criminal offence and can be prosecuted rather than penalised.
Check your address
Three steps before you let the property
Designations are drawn by ward and sometimes by street, so the only answer that counts is the one for your address.
Put the address into the council’s own checker
It is the only source that is definitive for this borough, and it is the one the council will hold you to.
Blackpool Council (Central wards) licensingCheck the property against the national thresholds
Mandatory HMO licensing is national, not local: five or more occupants forming two or more households need a licence wherever the property is, with no local scheme required.
Free postcode licensing checkerGet the evidence together before you apply
Most applications ask for the same documents you already owe the tenant: the gas safety record, the EICR, the EPC, and the fire detection and escape arrangements for an HMO. The council’s list is the one that counts, but nothing on it will be a surprise if those are current.
FAQs
Blackpool Council (Central wards): the questions landlords ask
Which Blackpool wards are in the selective licensing scheme?
Bloomfield, Brunswick, Claremont, Talbot, Tyldesley, Victoria and Warbreck, from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2030.
Are any Blackpool properties exempt from selective licensing?
Yes, but the list is narrow: properties exempted by the Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006, and properties let by a body registered as a social landlord under Part 1 of the Housing Act 1996.
Reviewed by Erdem Volkan, last checked 19 April 2026. General information about the rules in this area, not advice on a specific property or dispute.
Postcode districts
Narrow it to an outward code
Designations are ward-level, so the outward code is a better guide than the borough. Always confirm on the council checker.
Run a let through it
Every date on this page, tracked for your Blackpool property
Licence renewals, the gas and electrical certificates, the deposit clock and the notices all sit in one place, alongside the advert, the tenancy, the rent and the repairs. Free for one property, no card needed.