London · Council licensing
Barking & Dagenham operates discretionary property licensing. Letting an unlicensed property where a scheme applies risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000 and a rent repayment order — check whether your property is covered below.
Required for any HMO let to 5 or more people forming 2+ households who share facilities. Check the council for the current fee.
SCHEME OVERVIEW: London Borough of Barking and Dagenham operates a Selective Licensing scheme that came into force on 6 April 2025 and runs for 5 years until 5 April 2030. The scheme replaced the previous selective licensing initiative which ended in Summer 2024 (source: NRLA Licensing Update December 2024 / January 2025 confirming the new scheme, citing the council's own confirmation). LEGAL BASIS: Designation under section 80 of the Housing Act 2004. Approved by Cabinet following public consultation. COVERAGE: Three targeted designation areas within the borough. Use the postcode checker on lbbd.gov.uk/private-sector-housing/property-licensing to confirm whether a specific property is in a designated area. The previous selective scheme that ran until Summer 2024 covered different areas — landlords who were licensed under the previous scheme should NOT assume the new scheme covers the same locations. WHO NEEDS A LICENCE: All privately rented properties (single household, single person, couples, families) within the three designated areas. HMOs are licensed under the Mandatory or Additional schemes instead. FEES: £950 per property. Discounts available for accreditation and satisfactory rating from compliance audit inspections. LICENCE CONDITIONS: Comprehensive conditions covering fire safety, gas safety (annual certificate), electrical safety (5-year EICR), structural condition, anti-social behaviour management, written tenancy agreements, fit and proper person test for licence holder. ENFORCEMENT: Operating an unlicensed property in a designated area is a criminal offence. Civil financial penalty up to £30,000 per offence. Unlimited fine on conviction. Rent Repayment Orders for up to 12 months' rent (24 months under Renters' Rights Act 2025). Section 21 invalid where unlicensed. CONTACT: lbbd.gov.uk/private-sector-housing/property-licensing / Property Licensing Team.
Areas: Required for properties occupied by a single household (effective from 6 April 2025)
Scheme runs until: 30 September 2028
SCHEME OVERVIEW: London Borough of Barking and Dagenham operates a BOROUGH-WIDE Additional HMO Licensing Scheme that came into force on 9 January 2025 and runs until 8 January 2030 (5-year designation). Approved by Cabinet in late 2024. Online applications opened on 9 December 2024 (source: NRLA Licensing Update November and December 2024 reporting on Barking and Dagenham Cabinet decision; lbbd.gov.uk/private-sector-housing/licensing). LEGAL BASIS: Designation under section 56 of the Housing Act 2004. WHO NEEDS A LICENCE: Small HMOs occupied by 3 or 4 people who fall outside the scope of Mandatory HMO Licensing. Borough-wide. Larger HMOs (5+ persons) require Mandatory HMO Licensing instead. FEES: £1,400 per licence. Discounts available via Barking and Dagenham's silver and gold compliance awards — landlords who demonstrate higher compliance standards through the council's compliance award scheme can access reduced fees. LICENCE CONDITIONS: Standard conditions including fire safety, gas safety (annual certificate), electrical safety (5-year EICR), structural condition, kitchen/bathroom facilities, room sizes, waste management, anti-social behaviour management, written tenancy agreements, fit and proper person test for licence holder. NOTE: Barking and Dagenham also operates a separate selective licensing scheme — see selective_licensing_details. The selective scheme covers three targeted designation areas in the borough which came into force on 6 April 2025 (£950 per property with discounts for accreditation and satisfactory compliance audits). ENFORCEMENT: Operating an unlicensed HMO is a criminal offence under section 72 of the Housing Act 2004. Civil financial penalty up to £30,000 per offence. Unlimited fine on conviction. Rent Repayment Orders for up to 12 months' rent (24 months under Renters' Rights Act 2025). Section 21 invalid where unlicensed. CONTACT: lbbd.gov.uk/private-sector-housing/licensing / Property Licensing Team, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
Areas: Required for properties occupied by three or four persons forming two or more households (effective from 9 January 2025)
Source: Barking & Dagenham licensing page →
A valid Gas Safety certificate (annual), an EICR (every 5 years), a valid EPC, a protected deposit, smoke & CO alarms, the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet, and a current How to Rent guide — plus the new Section 8 possession rules since Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026.
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