Property licensing for London landlords, handled start to finish.

It depends on how many people live there, how many households they form, and where the property is. Every London borough runs mandatory HMO licensing, and many add additional or selective schemes. We check yours for that property.

Usually the application form and fee, floor plans with room sizes, a gas safety certificate, an electrical installation condition report, an energy performance certificate, fire safety details and how the property is managed. We tell you exactly what your borough wants, because an incomplete application can be refused.

Often, for HMOs. Planning permission decides whether the use is allowed; the licence covers how the property is let and managed. A licence does not confirm that planning permission is in place, and a council can grant a shorter licence where it is not. We can run both together.

Once a complete application has been made and is still effective, the law gives you a defence against the offence of operating an unlicensed HMO while the council decides. It is not the same as holding a licence, and an incomplete application can be refused, which is why we check yours before it goes in.

Talk to us straight away. Letting an unlicensed HMO can lead to an unlimited fine or a civil penalty of up to £40,000, and tenants may be able to apply for a rent repayment order. Applying now is the first step to putting it right.

Up to five years, and it must be renewed before it ends. The council checks that the house suits the number of occupants and that the manager is a fit and proper person, and the licence comes with conditions such as an annual gas safety certificate and working smoke alarms.

It changes borough by borough and year by year. Enfield’s selective scheme covers seventeen wards from 1 September 2026; Hackney licenses HMOs borough-wide. We check the current position for your address, and our journal carries the latest for each borough we work in.