List your rental property in Durham

The rental scene in Durham has a shape of its own. The city pulls strong demand from people connected to the university and the hospital, alongside professionals and families who want to be near the centre or on the good commuter routes out towards the coast and Newcastle. That mix shows up in the stock: terraces and converted houses in the central neighbourhoods, purpose-built flats, and family homes in the suburbs and the surrounding County Durham villages. Tenant expectations vary a lot by street, so an honest description of the property and its actual location in the DH area will always do more for you than a generic one.

Letting in 2026 sits under the Renters' Rights Act 2026, and it changes the ground rules. Section 21 'no-fault' evictions have been abolished, tenancies are now assured periodic rather than fixed-term, and landlords are expected to give tenants the official Information Sheet at the start. Possession now runs through the defined statutory grounds. None of this stops you letting a home in Durham - it just means the paperwork and the process need to be right from day one, and it is worth reading the current rules properly rather than relying on how things worked a couple of years ago.

Compliance is the part to get exactly right. Gas safety, electrical checks, an up-to-date EPC, deposit protection and the right safety equipment are the baseline. On top of that, property licensing in Durham is set by the local council, not by central rules, and schemes differ from area to area and can change - so check directly with the council whether your specific property needs a licence before you advertise. We are not going to tell you whether a scheme applies to your street; we are telling you to confirm it at source.

And then the choice is yours, the same as on the sales side. You can advertise the rental yourself on Domovita, handle viewings and referencing directly, and keep close to your tenants. Or you can bring in a local Durham letting agent to manage the let, the compliance trail and the ongoing relationship for you. Self-managing suits hands-on landlords with the time; using an agent suits those who would rather have a professional carry the day-to-day and keep on top of the rules. Both are valid. List it yourself when you are ready, or speak to a local agent first - we just make sure you know which path you are taking.