HMO Licensing London
£400 fixed fee. We manage the full application — mandatory, additional or selective — until your council issues the licence.
32 London boroughs covered · 8–16 week typical lead · Pre-application compliance check included · WhatsApp updates throughout
Mobile? Tap 07456 975436 for the engineering line.
HMO licensing in London is governed by Housing Act 2004 Parts 2 and 3. Mandatory licensing applies nationally to HMOs of 5+ unrelated persons in 2+ households; additional and selective schemes are borough-specific. We manage the full application process — pre-check, submission, council liaison, inspection, certificate delivery — for a £400 fixed fee. Council application fees of £597.50–£1,750 are paid directly to the borough.
Three licensing schemes — which applies to you
Three parallel HMO licensing regimes operate across London. A single property can fall under one, two or all three at the same time. The first job on every application is identifying which schemes apply to the address — we run that check against the borough's published designations before any document is collected.
Mandatory Licensing
National rule — every borough in England
Mandatory licensing applies to every HMO occupied by 5 or more unrelated persons forming 2 or more households, sharing one or more amenities (kitchen, bathroom, WC). It is enforced under the Housing Act 2004 Part 2 and is a national duty — no opt-out, no borough variation.
Additional Licensing
Borough-specific — smaller HMOs
Additional schemes catch smaller HMOs that fall below the mandatory threshold, typically 3 or 4 unrelated persons in 2+ households. Each borough designates the scheme under Housing Act 2004 Section 56 with its own ward boundaries and fee structure. Over 20 London boroughs currently operate an additional scheme.
Selective Licensing
Borough-specific — all private rentals
Selective licensing covers every privately rented dwelling in a designated area, not just HMOs. Introduced under Housing Act 2004 Section 80 to address poor property conditions, anti-social behaviour or low housing demand. Active borough-wide in Newham and Waltham Forest, in designated wards across Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham, Wandsworth and others.
What's included for £400
The £400 fee is fixed and inclusive of VAT. It covers every step from initial property review through licence issue. Nothing is added during the application — no per-document charges, no inspection attendance fees, no submission charges.
- Initial property + portfolio review with photographs and floor measurements
- Document collation — Gas Safety CP12, EICR, EPC, floor plans, fire risk assessment, ID, ownership proof
- Pre-application compliance check against the borough's licensing conditions
- Online portal submission with the council on the landlord's behalf
- Council liaison throughout the determination period
- Response to conditions, queries and additional info requests from environmental health
- Inspection coordination and attendance on the landlord's behalf
- Appeal and First-tier Tribunal representation support if the application is refused
- Final licence delivery to the landlord with a calendar reminder set for renewal
What's not included — transparent
- The council application fee itself — £500 to £2,600 depending on borough — paid directly to the council
- Remedial works needed to pass compliance (priced separately, discounted as our existing customer)
- Third-party CO and smoke alarm hard-wiring works where the property currently has none
- Local authority inspection charges where a re-inspection is needed after a failed first visit
Fixed-fee pricing
Per application, single property. No percentage uplift on rental income, no hourly billing, no per-document charges. Trigger is the day we submit to the council portal — refunded in full if we cannot submit due to a borough issue we should have caught at pre-check.
- • Initial consultation and assessment included, no upfront charge
- • Council application fee paid directly by landlord to the borough
- • 90-day money-back if we miss any council deadline through our own fault
- • Portfolio discount available from 3+ properties — call for pricing
London borough licensing reference — all 32 boroughs
Every London borough operates its own licensing fee scale, scheme designations and condition variations under the Housing Act 2004 framework. The table below shows the live position across all 32 boroughs and the City of London. We have current case files with every council on this list.
| Borough | Scheme Type | Council Fee | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster | Mandatory + Additional (designated wards) | £1,375–£1,750 | 5 years |
| Camden | Mandatory + Additional (8 wards) | £1,250–£1,500 | 5 years |
| Islington | Mandatory + Additional (borough-wide) | £1,500 | 5 years |
| Hackney | Mandatory + Additional (11 wards) | £1,433 | 5 years |
| Tower Hamlets | Mandatory + Additional (borough-wide, 3+ persons since 2024) | £1,500 | 5 years |
| Newham | Mandatory + Additional + Selective (borough-wide) | £750–£1,250 | 5 years |
| Waltham Forest | Mandatory + Additional + Selective (borough-wide) | £1,051 | 5 years |
| Haringey | Mandatory + Additional (borough-wide) | £1,250 | 5 years |
| Enfield | Mandatory + Additional + Selective | £1,200 | 5 years |
| Barnet | Mandatory + Additional (select wards) | £1,100 | 5 years |
| Brent | Mandatory + Additional (borough-wide) | £1,140 + £60/room | 5 years |
| Ealing | Mandatory + Additional + Selective (designated wards) | £1,100 | 5 years |
| Harrow | Mandatory (Additional consultation 2026) | £1,150 | 5 years |
| Hillingdon | Mandatory (Additional starts 24 Aug 2026) | TBC | 5 years |
| Hounslow | Mandatory (partial Additional) | £1,200 | 5 years |
| Hammersmith & Fulham | Mandatory + Additional | £597.50 | 5 years |
| Kensington & Chelsea | Mandatory + Additional (ward-based) | £1,400 | 5 years |
| Wandsworth | Mandatory + Selective (some wards) | £1,300 | 5 years |
| Richmond upon Thames | Mandatory only | £1,250 | 5 years |
| Kingston upon Thames | Mandatory only | £1,200 | 5 years |
| Merton | Mandatory + limited Selective | £1,250 | 5 years |
| Sutton | Mandatory only | £1,150 | 5 years |
| Croydon | Mandatory + Additional (designated wards) + Selective | £1,200 | 5 years |
| Lambeth | Mandatory + Selective | £1,300 | 5 years |
| Southwark | Mandatory + Additional (Old Kent Road, Camberwell) | £1,250 | 5 years |
| Lewisham | Mandatory + Selective (designated areas) | £1,150 | 5 years |
| Greenwich | Mandatory + Additional (17 wards) | £1,250 | 5 years |
| Bexley | Mandatory only | £1,100 | 5 years |
| Bromley | Mandatory only | £1,100 | 5 years |
| Redbridge | Mandatory + Additional (borough-wide) | £1,250 | 5 years |
| Barking & Dagenham | Mandatory + Additional + Selective | £1,200 | 5 years |
| City of London | Mandatory only | £1,200 | 5 years |
Council fees current at time of publication. Boroughs review fee schedules annually — we confirm the live figure on every application before submission. Fees shown are for a single-property mandatory or additional licence; selective licensing fees are typically £300–£600 lower.
How the process runs — typical timeline
A typical London HMO licence takes 8 to 16 weeks from initial call to certificate. Newham and Waltham Forest run at the longer end due to volume; smaller boroughs clear faster. Below is the standard five-stage process with realistic day counters.
Step 1: Free phone consultation and property assessment
30-minute call to confirm the borough, occupancy pattern, household composition and existing compliance position. Site visit booked if needed for measurements or photographs.
Step 2: Compliance pre-check and document collation
We pull together every certificate the council will ask for — CP12, EICR, EPC, floor plans, FRA — and run a pre-flight check against the borough's specific licensing conditions to spot gaps before the council does.
Step 3: Application submitted to council
Online portal submission in the landlord's name with the full document bundle attached. Application fee paid directly to the council on the landlord's card or by bank transfer; we never handle that payment.
Step 4: Council inspection and queries
Environmental health officer arranges the property visit. We attend on the landlord's behalf, walk through with the officer, and handle every follow-up query from the housing team in writing.
Step 5: Licence issued and delivered
Licence certificate received from the council and forwarded with a calendar reminder set for the renewal date five years out. Conditions schedule explained in plain English with action dates flagged.
Documents required — we collect these for you
Every London council requires the same core document set, with two or three boroughs adding a basic DBS disclosure for the proposed manager. We pull each certificate together as part of the £400 service — where a document is missing or expired, we book the corrective service before submission so the application is complete on day one.
- Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) — annual, current within 12 months
- Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — within 5 years, Satisfactory
- Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) — minimum E rating, less than 10 years old
- Floor plans showing every room with dimensions in metres squared
- Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) — PAS 79 format, LACORS-compliant for the HMO type
- Ownership proof — HM Land Registry title register and title plan
- Photo ID for the proposed manager (passport or driving licence)
- "Fit and proper person" declaration signed by the proposed licence holder
- DBS basic disclosure certificate (required by some boroughs — Newham, Waltham Forest, Brent)
- Right to Rent procedures evidence — copies of immigration checks for current tenants
- Planning permission or lawful development certificate where applicable (sui generis use)
- Mortgage lender consent letter where the property is mortgaged on a buy-to-let product
Missing an EICR, CP12 or fire risk assessment? We hold all three certifications in-house — order them through us and the application stays on a single timeline. Pricing for these certificates is shown on the EICR, Gas Safety Certificate and HMO Fire Risk Assessment pages.
Penalties for operating an unlicensed HMO
Enforcement of HMO licensing across London is active and well-funded. Every borough has an environmental health and housing standards team with the power to prosecute, impose civil penalties without court, and apply for Banning Orders at the First-tier Tribunal. The financial exposure on a single unlicensed property routinely exceeds £40,000 once Rent Repayment Orders are added to civil penalties.
Unlimited fine on conviction — Housing Act 2004 Section 72(1)
Operating an unlicensed HMO is a criminal offence under Section 72(1) of the Housing Act 2004. On summary conviction in the Magistrates' Court the fine is unlimited following the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 amendments. Courts consider rental income gained, length of offence and any prior breaches.
Civil penalty up to £30,000 per offence
Under the Housing and Planning Act 2016 the local authority can impose a financial penalty of up to £30,000 per offence without going to court. The notice is served directly on the landlord with a 28-day right to make representations. Each occupied unit can be treated as a separate offence on the same property.
Rent Repayment Order — up to 12 months of rent
Tenants can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) for a Rent Repayment Order under the Housing and Planning Act 2016 Chapter 4. The tribunal can order repayment of up to 12 months of rent paid during the unlicensed period. Universal Credit housing element is repayable to the local authority on the same basis.
Banning Order — landlord prohibited from letting
Following a Housing and Planning Act 2016 Banning Order, a landlord can be prohibited from letting any residential property in England for a minimum of 12 months. The order is publicly recorded on the Database of Rogue Landlords and Property Agents, and breach of a Banning Order is itself a criminal offence carrying further unlimited fines.
Entry on the Rogue Landlord database
Convictions, civil penalties and Banning Orders trigger an entry on the national Database of Rogue Landlords and Property Agents maintained under Housing and Planning Act 2016 Part 2 Chapter 3. The database is accessible to every English local housing authority and is shared with mortgage lenders and landlord insurers on request.
Interim Management Order — council takes over the property
Under Housing Act 2004 Part 4, a local authority can apply for an Interim Management Order taking over management of an unlicensed HMO for up to 12 months. Rent is collected by the council, used to fund management and remedials, and surplus is paid back to the owner only after every cost is recovered.
The simplest defence against every one of these routes is a duly-made application currently in determination. The day the application is submitted in good order, criminal prosecution under Section 72(1) is no longer available to the council for the determination period.
Why ERL for HMO licensing
- In-house engineers — we fix what compliance finds, no third-party hand-off
- £400 fixed — most licensing agents charge percentage-based £600–£950
- Single contact through the whole process — same caseworker start to finish
- Pre-application compliance check included as standard
- 32 London boroughs covered — we know each council's quirks and inspector preferences
- WhatsApp updates throughout — no chasing the council, we do that for you
Most licensing agents charge a percentage of one year's rental income — usually 4–7% — which on a 5-bed London HMO grossing £45,000 a year works out at £1,800 to £3,150 just for submitting an application. Our £400 fixed fee covers the same scope. Where remedials are needed to pass the borough's standards we quote them separately with a discount for being our compliance customer — no margin uplift, no hand-off to a contractor we cannot vouch for.
Related services for licensed HMOs
HMO licensing is one piece of the landlord certification puzzle. We run every other compliance certificate the borough will ask for in-house — same engineers, same caseworker, same invoice.
HMO Compliance Check (£250)
Pre-licensing audit — we walk the property and itemise every gap against your borough's HMO standards before you apply.
HMO Fire Risk Assessment
PAS 79 fire risk assessment in LACORS format for licensed HMOs from £169 — annual review for borough licensing.
EICR London
NICEIC registered electricians issue your Electrical Installation Condition Report from £120 — required for every HMO licence.
Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)
Gas Safe registered engineers issue your CP12 annually — combined visit with EICR available at a discounted rate.
Smaller HMO compliance touch-points are covered too — interlinked smoke alarm installation, fire alarm testing and emergency lighting testing all run on the same compliance calendar as your HMO licence renewal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an HMO licence in London?
What's the difference between mandatory, additional and selective licensing?
How much does an HMO licence cost in London?
How long does an HMO licence application take?
Can I rent out an HMO without a licence?
What's the fine for an unlicensed HMO?
What are the minimum HMO room sizes in London?
How many bathrooms does an HMO need?
What fire safety requirements apply to an HMO?
How often is an HMO licence renewed?
What documents do I need to apply?
Can the council refuse my HMO licence?
What is a "fit and proper person" test?
What happens during an HMO inspection?
Start your HMO licence application today
£400 fixed fee, single caseworker, council certificate in hand within 8–16 weeks. Free assessment call covers borough scheme designation, document gaps and a realistic timeline before any commitment.
Co. No. 17120057 · VAT-registered invoices · 90-day money-back if we miss a council deadline through our fault