Selective Licensing in Blackpool

Blackpool has finally joined the big-scheme club: from 1 April 2025 there is a large selective licensing scheme across the inner area (eight wards, c. 9,000-11,000 rentals), on top of long-standing HMO licensing and intense enforcement in some of the cheapest streets in England.

Scheme status, area, dates

• Scheme: Inner Area Selective Licensing Scheme (Blackpool).
• Approved: 15 November 2024 by the Secretary of State.
• Start date: 1 April 2025 (online applications open that day).
• End date: 31 March 2030 (5-year designation).

Area covered: The scheme covers the inner area of Blackpool, specifically the eight inner wards:

• Bloomfield
• Brunswick
• Claremont
• Talbot
• Tyldesley
• Warbreck
• Waterloo
• Victoria.

It hits around 9,000-11,000 privately rented properties, clearly more than 20% of the borough.

In those wards, every privately rented property that is not already under mandatory/additional HMO licensing needs a selective licence, subject to limited exemptions.

Fees and how the "Blackpool Standard" works

There are two key fee bands for a single dwelling in the inner-area scheme:

Discounted "Blackpool Standard / early" licence:

• Total: GBP 347 for the full 5-year period (GBP 69.40/year).
• This rate builds in significant discounts for:
• Applying within the first 3 months of the scheme (early application).
• Meeting the Blackpool Standard for property condition and management.
• Often also having an EPC A-C.

Full licence fee (no discounts):

• Total: GBP 772 per single dwelling for 5 years.

The detailed 2025 fee schedule shows a two-part structure for inner-area selective licensing:

• Part 1 (on application): GBP 354.
• Part 2 (on grant): remaining balance up to GBP 772, reduced if you qualify for Blackpool Standard / EPC / early-bird discounts.

For multi-unit buildings: Landlords face GBP 772 for the first flat plus GBP 95 per additional unit, with small GBP 20 per unit discounts for EPC A-C flats, which is why portfolio landlords are complaining about "massive" cumulative fees.

Previous central-area additional HMO schemes (South Shore, Claremont, Central) have their own HMO licence fees and are still part of the overall compliance picture.

Conditions, penalties and enforcement

Licence conditions

Blackpool's selective scheme conditions cover three familiar buckets:

Property and safety:

• No Category 1 hazards (government found 1 in 3 PRS homes in the area had at least one serious hazard before the scheme).
• Adequate heating, safe electrics, gas safety, EPC, smoke and CO alarms.

Management:

• Fit and proper landlord/manager.
• Clear repair and emergency arrangements.
• Compliance with the Blackpool Standard to qualify for discounts.

Tenancy and ASB:

• Written tenancy agreements and deposit protection.
• Steps to deal with antisocial behaviour, noise, and waste.

Penalties and enforcement

The council's selective-licensing page is blunt:

Failure to licence a property when required is an offence:

• Court can impose a fine "of any amount" (unlimited).
• Alternatively, the council can impose civil penalties up to GBP 30,000.

Section 98 Housing Act 2004 applies: You cannot serve a valid Section 21 while the property is unlicensed.

Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, RROs will go up to 2 years' rent in serious cases nationally; councils like Blackpool are already framing licensing as central to that new enforcement regime.

Enforcement track record / early numbers:

As of March 2026 (almost a year in):

• About half of the ~9,000 eligible homes had registered for a licence.
• 30% of registered properties met the higher Blackpool Standard, earning discounted fees.
• About 50% of landlords qualified for discounts via higher EPC ratings alone.
• LandlordZone reports that scores of landlords have not yet applied and warns that they now face enforcement and loss of Section 21.

Exemptions

The designation and council guidance list the usual exemptions:

• Properties already under mandatory or additional HMO licences.
• Social housing, certain housing association stock.
• Some holiday lets and business tenancies.
• Long-leaseholder-occupied homes.

But in the eight inner wards, the practical rule is simple: if it is private rented and not an HMO already under Part 2, assume it needs a selective licence.

Application process

Landlords must apply online via Blackpool's housing licences portal from 1 April 2025.

They must:

• Check whether the property falls in one of the eight wards.
• Confirm whether it is selective or HMO-licensable.
• Submit landlord/manager details and fit-and-proper declarations.
• Upload gas safety, EICR, EPC where relevant.
• Pay Part 1 (GBP 354); Part 2 is payable once the licence is ready to issue.

To qualify for the GBP 347 discounted fee you must apply in the first 3 months and meet the Blackpool Standard (plus, in many cases, hold an EPC of at least C).

Market impact and the specific Blackpool PRS mess

Blackpool's inner PRS is unusual: high HMO concentration, very transient tenants, seasonal low-pay economy, and some of the worst housing conditions in the country.

• Government found one-in-three PRS homes in the inner-area had at least one Category 1 hazard before the scheme.

Earlier additional HMO licensing in South Shore, Claremont and Central from 2012 cut crime sharply:

• South Shore incidents dropped from 720 to 333 in one year.

The council's selective-licensing business case is explicit: It wants to use licensing plus HMO schemes to:

• Raise minimum standards.
• Tackle ASB and criminality linked to poor housing.
• Support reputable landlords and squeeze out the worst.

Landlord reaction:

• Many smaller landlords are furious about GBP 772 per dwelling (plus GBP 95 per additional flat) and say it will force disposals, especially in blocks where the total runs to thousands.
• Trade press quotes Reform councillor Emma Ellison warning that multi-flat owners are "on the brink" from cumulative fees.
• At the same time, about half of landlords in the scheme have secured discounts by meeting the Blackpool Standard or having decent EPCs, which suggests a split market:
• Compliant or better-capitalised landlords leaning in.
• Lower-end, non-compliant operators considering exit.

For investors, the essence is:

• Property is cheap and yields can be huge on paper.
• But in the inner wards, you now have to price in:
• GBP 347-772 selective fees per unit over 5 years.
• Higher spec and management to meet Blackpool Standard.
• Real enforcement risk if you carry on as a slum-lord.

What forums get wrong about Blackpool

Myth 1: "Selective licensing is only for a couple of streets, most of Blackpool is untouched."

Reality: From 1 April 2025, the inner-area scheme covers the eight inner wards (Bloomfield, Brunswick, Claremont, Talbot, Tyldesley, Warbreck, Waterloo, Victoria) and around 9,000-11,000 PRS homes, well over 20% of the borough.

Myth 2: "The fee is a token GBP 100 or so."

Reality: Full fee is GBP 772 per single dwelling for 5 years, with GBP 347 only if you apply early and meet Blackpool Standard and EPC conditions. Multi-unit buildings attract GBP 772 + GBP 95 per extra flat.

Myth 3: "Because it's Blackpool and yields are high, the council won't really enforce."

Reality: The council is already broadcasting that nearly half of relevant properties are unlicensed, warning of unlimited court fines, civil penalties up to GBP 30,000, loss of Section 21, and using positive crime-reduction results from previous HMO schemes as justification for going hard again.

Myth 4: "Licensing is just for HMOs; my single-let flat is safe."

Reality: Selective licensing targets non-HMO PRS, while HMOs stay under mandatory/additional licensing. In the eight wards, your single-let flat absolutely needs a licence unless it falls into a narrow exemption.

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