Does your property need a licence?

Do I need a landlord licence in London?

There are three types of property licence in England, and a London let can need one or more:

• Mandatory HMO licence: 5 or more people from 2 or more households sharing a kitchen or bathroom. Applies everywhere in England.
• Additional HMO licence: 3 or 4 sharers from 2 or more households, where the council runs a scheme. Most London boroughs do, borough wide.
• Selective licence: any private let, including a family or a couple, in areas the council has chosen. In London these are usually set ward by ward.

Letting without the licence you need can mean a fine of up to £40,000 and a rent repayment order of up to 2 years’ rent. The check above tells you which one your property is likely to need.

Which London boroughs have selective licensing?

Checked against council published schemes in October 2026. Schemes start and end, so always confirm with your council.

• Whole borough: Barking and Dagenham
• Most of the borough: Brent (all wards except Wembley Park), Lambeth (all except Vauxhall, and Waterloo and South Bank), Newham (22 of 24 wards), Waltham Forest (all except Endlebury, and Hatch Lane and Highams Park North), Westminster (15 of 18 wards)
• Some wards: Bexley (Belvedere), Croydon (14 wards), Enfield (17 wards), Hackney (17 of 21 wards), Haringey (14 wards), Harrow (6 wards), Havering (7 wards), Islington (3 wards, with 7 more from 23rd November 2026), Lewisham (17 wards), Merton (4 wards), Redbridge (17 wards), Southwark (19 wards), Wandsworth (7 wards)
• Set by area or street, check with the council: Ealing, Greenwich, Hammersmith and Fulham
• No selective scheme right now: Barnet, Bromley, Camden, City of London, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, Tower Hamlets

Do I need an HMO licence for 3 tenants?

If the 3 tenants are one household, such as a family or a couple with a child, it isn’t an HMO, but it may still need a selective licence in some areas. If they’re 3 sharers from different households, it’s an HMO. In London most councils run additional licensing, so a 3 or 4 person HMO usually needs a licence. At 5 or more sharers it needs a mandatory HMO licence wherever you are.

What did the Renters’ Rights Act change for landlords?

• Fixed terms and section 21 have gone. Tenancies now roll month to month.
• Existing tenants had to be given the government information sheet by 31st May 2026.
• Adverts must show the rent, and you can’t invite or accept offers above it.
• No blanket bans on tenants with children or on benefits.
• Tenants can ask to keep a pet, and you must reply in writing within 28 days.
• Rent repayment orders now go up to 2 years’ rent, and council fines go up to £40,000.
• A national landlord database opens from 15th December 2026. London landlords must register by 14th October 2027.

The 11 questions in the check cover these rules plus gas, electrical, EPC, alarm and right to rent checks.