Doncaster: one live selective scheme, one closed, and a planning gate

Three regimes, and one of them has closed

Mandatory HMO licensing applies borough-wide. Selective licensing covers Hexthorpe, designated on 15 November 2021 and in force from 1 March 2022. A separate additional licensing scheme ran from 1 October 2018 to 30 September 2023 over parts of Doncaster town centre, Hyde Park, Balby North, Wheatley and Intake. Licences granted under the additional scheme that have not yet expired remain valid and must be complied with, and an earlier selective scheme in Edlington ended on 6 February 2023.

Fees for 2026/27

For 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, a new HMO licence is £1,008 for up to five bedrooms plus £69 for each additional room, and a renewal is £939 plus £69 per additional room. Add £44 if extra correspondence is needed to complete the application and £50 if the second part payment arrives late. Renewals must be made before the existing licence lapses and are not available after expiry. Hexthorpe selective licences are charged in two parts: a £200 application fee plus a grant fee of £400 reduced pro rata by scheme year, so a year 1 application totals £600 and a year 5 application £280, with a further £50 where resources have already been deployed against an unlicensed property or the application is more than three months late. The selective licence fees carry no published fee year, so which schedule they belong to is UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website.

Planning permission is a separate gate

Converting a dwelling to a small HMO needs planning permission inside the Article 4 area covering Town, Town Fields, Wheatley, Hexthorpe, Balby, Wheatley Hills, Intake and Belle Vue, which has been in force since 14 October 2019. Outside that area, permission is required for an HMO with more than six people. The council states it will not grant an HMO licence unless the necessary planning permission has already been given, may licence for only a reduced period if the property is already occupied without permission, and still charges the full fee. Licences are valid for up to five years, and conditions are expected to be met within six months unless a condition says otherwise.

Penalty wording differs between the council's pages: the selective licensing page states a financial penalty of up to £40,000 or prosecution with an unlimited fine and warns that tenants can seek a rent repayment order for up to 12 months' rent, while the additional licensing page refers only to unlimited fines. Both come from the council and are preserved here rather than reconciled.

Verify current designations via Doncaster Council's Houses in multiple occupation licensing, Selective licensing, Hexthorpe Selective Licensing Scheme 2022-2027, Additional Licensing and Article 4 Direction pages, and its public licence register. Illustrative guide - scheme boundaries and dates change; general information, not legal advice.