Additional HMO licensing in Enfield

Common questions

What the designation says

The London Borough of Enfield operates a borough-wide Additional HMO Licensing Scheme that came into force on 1 September 2025 and runs for five years until 31 August 2030. This is a renewal of the original scheme that started on 1 September 2020 and ended on 31 August 2025; Cabinet approved the renewal in March 2025 following a public consultation. The scheme covers all Houses in Multiple Occupation in the borough that fall outside the mandatory HMO licensing regime — that is, properties occupied by three or four people from more than one household who share kitchen, bathroom or toilet facilities under one or more tenancies. Section 257 HMOs (certain converted blocks of flats where the conversion did not comply with Building Regulations) are explicitly EXCLUDED from the Enfield additional scheme. The scheme operates alongside the mandatory HMO licensing scheme (which applies borough-wide to HMOs occupied by 5+ people from 2+ households) and the borough-wide Article 4 Direction in place since 22 October 2012, which removes permitted development rights to convert single-family properties into small HMOs without planning permission. The application fee for an additional HMO licence is £1,450 per property, payable in two parts (Part 1 non-refundable on application, Part 2 collected automatically when the draft licence is issued). From 1 September 2025, landlords may be entitled to discounts of £50, £100 or £150 off Part 2 of the fee depending on their accreditation status with recognised bodies. The mandatory HMO licence application fee is £1,616 for a property with up to five lettable rooms, with the cost increasing for larger properties. Where there is a breach of planning control, the council typically issues a reduced-term licence (usually 2 years) to give the landlord time to either fix the breach or obtain planning consent. Operating an unlicensed HMO exposes the landlord to prosecution with an unlimited fine, a civil financial penalty of up to £40,000 per offence without warning, Rent Repayment Orders of up to two years' rent for offences on or after 1 May 2026 (12 months before that date), and entry on the Mayor of London Rogue Landlord Checker. The £40,000 ceiling applies to offences committed on or after 1 May 2026; the £30,000 ceiling still applies to offences committed before that date.

What this means for a landlord

A licence must be in place before the property is let, not applied for afterwards. Operating unlicensed in a designated area is a criminal offence: a civil penalty of up to £40,000 per offence and a rent repayment order of up to two years' rent. Both maxima apply to conduct on or after 1 May 2026; before that date they were £30,000 and twelve months. Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026 and possession now runs through the amended section 8 grounds. Mandatory HMO licensing applies separately and everywhere, wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.

Enfield's own licensing page →