Selective licensing in Enfield

Yes, from 1 September 2026. Enfield has designated a selective licensing scheme that comes into force on 1 September 2026. A licence is not required before that date, and is required from it.

Required from 1 September 2026. The designation is made and binding, but the duty has not started. A licence obtained before that date is valid from it; a property let without one after it is unlicensed.

Legal basis
Housing Act 2004, section 80
Areas covered
17 wards across 2 designations. Designation 1 (13 wards): Bowes, Brimsdown, Bullsmoor, Carterhatch, Edmonton Green, Enfield Lock, Haselbury, Jubilee, Lower Edmonton, Ponders End, Southbury, Upper Edmonton, Whitewebbs. Designation 2 (4 wards): New Southgate, Palmers Green, Southgate, Town.
In force from
1 September 2026
Runs until
31 August 2031
Licence fee
£735
Last verified
4 Aug 2026

What the designation says

Selective licensing RENEWED AND EXPANDED. The outgoing 14-ward designation ends 31 August 2026 and is replaced without a gap by a new scheme covering 17 wards, approved by Enfield Cabinet on 22 April 2026 (Key Decision 6032, effective 2 May 2026 after the call-in period) following consultation opened in October 2025. The new scheme comes into force on 1 September 2026 and runs for five years to 31 August 2031. It is split across two designations: Designation 1 covers 13 wards (Bowes, Brimsdown, Bullsmoor, Carterhatch, Edmonton Green, Enfield Lock, Haselbury, Jubilee, Lower Edmonton, Ponders End, Southbury, Upper Edmonton, Whitewebbs); Designation 2 covers 4 wards (New Southgate, Palmers Green, Southgate, Town). It applies to all privately rented properties in those wards. The proposed licence fee is around GBP 750, with discounts for accredited landlords, multi-dwelling applications and properties rated EPC C or above; confirm the exact fee at application as sources report GBP 750 and GBP 755. Borough-wide additional HMO licensing runs separately to 31 August 2030 and is unaffected. Verified 4 Aug 2026 against enfield.gov.uk and BoroughReady.

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 £30,000 per offence, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and a section 21 notice that cannot be served while the property is unlicensed. 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 →

Free compliance audit →Five questions, no sign-up. Every duty that applies to your property, licensing included.Check your tenancy agreement →Unlicensed letting invalidates a section 21 notice. We check the agreement against current law.

Information tool, not legal advice. Confirm the position with Enfield before letting.