Selective Licensing Scheme
The Selective Licensing Scheme started on 1 November 2025
If you are a landlord renting out residential property in the borough (that is not a Mandatory or Additional HMO), you must apply to the Council for a Selective Licence.
View the conditions for licensed properties:
| A Selective Licence costs £1,334.90 and lasts for up to 5 years. |
For more details about fees and how to apply, please see our Licence Fees and Charges page.
Selective licence Wards
The scheme runs in the following 16 wards:
| Aveley and Uplands | Belhus | Chadwell St Mary | Chafford and North Stifford |
| Corringham and Fobbing | East Tilbury | Grays Riverside | Grays Thurrock |
| Little Thurrock Rectory | Ockendon | South Chafford | Stanford East and Corringham Town |
| Stanford le Hope West | Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park | Tilbury St Chads | West Thurrock and South Stifford |
Do I need a Selective Property Licence?
You do not need to apply for a Selective Property Licence or ask the Council for an exemption if you property is in one of these wards:
1. Little Thurrock Blackshots
2. Orsett
3. Stifford Clays
4. The Homesteads
All privately rented properties in other selective licensing wards must have a licence, no matter their size or who is living there.
Landlords who rent out a property without the correct licence could face prosecution and may lose the right to operate their business.
Selective Licensing Exemptions
In some situations, a property may not need a Selective Licence. Examples include:
• Buildings controlled or managed by a Local Housing Authority
• Buildings controlled or managed by Police.
• Buildings controlled or managed by fire brigade
• Buildings controlled or managed by Health Service Body
• Certain University/College accommodation occupied by students
• Where the owner or his relatives occupy a property on a long leasehold
• Where landlord lets to certain relatives
• Holiday Homes
• Where landlord/licensor or his relative lives at the property and shares facilities with a maximum of two lodgers
Exemptions from the mandatory HMO licensing scheme are set out here: The Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006
If your property meets the requirement of ‘full exemption’, please complete a Declaration form and email it to: selectivelicensing@thurrock.gov.uk for further assessment. Please provide any required documentation to support your claim.