Additional HMO licensing in Greenwich

What the designation says

Greenwich operates a borough-wide additional licensing scheme covering smaller houses in multiple occupation — properties let to three or four people from more than two households. That brings smaller shared homes within licensing below the five-occupant threshold of the national mandatory regime, and it applies across the whole borough rather than in designated areas. Mandatory HMO licensing continues to apply separately wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households. Because Greenwich also runs selective licensing across five wards, with a much larger replacement scheme under consultation, a landlord should establish which scheme catches a given property before applying: a shared house of three or four occupants needs an additional licence anywhere in the borough, while a single-household let needs a selective licence only inside a designated ward.

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.

Greenwich's own licensing page →