Landlord licensing in Hackney

Required for any HMO let to 5 or more people forming 2+ households who share facilities.

Fee: £1,100

SCHEME OVERVIEW: Hackney Council's Cabinet approved a new selective licensing scheme on 24 November 2025, with the scheme coming into force on 1 May 2026 and running for 5 years. Landlords have been able to apply from 1 March 2026 in advance of the start date. Until late 2024, a selective licensing designation of this size would have required approval from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG); under reformed rules councils may now approve selective licensing schemes of any size locally through Cabinet, provided they satisfy the legal requirements on evidence, consultation, and proportionality (source: hackney.moderngov.co.uk consultation evidence pack and news.hackney.gov.uk announcement 26 November 2025). COVERAGE: The new selective scheme covers 17 of Hackney's 21 wards — approximately 76% of privately rented homes in the borough. Within these 17 wards, ALL privately rented properties must be licensed regardless of the number of tenants, including single-occupant lets, couples, and families. The remaining 4 wards are NOT in the selective scheme but are covered by the borough-wide additional licensing scheme (so single-family lets in those 4 wards do not need a selective licence, but any HMO in those 4 wards still needs an additional licence). The PRS in Hackney is distributed across all 21 wards, with property counts per ward ranging from 2,970 (Hoxton West) to 1,302 (Stamford Hill West). RATIONALE: Hackney's private rented sector has expanded rapidly and now makes up nearly a third of residential properties. Hackney has consistently ranked among London boroughs with the highest concentration of housing hazards in the private rented sector, with the BRE independent review finding the proportion of privately rented homes containing serious hazards is almost double the national average. The selective scheme is designed to address these conditions in single-let properties that fall outside HMO definitions and would otherwise rely solely on tenant complaints to trigger council action. FEES: The selective licence application fee will be £925 per property (source: hackney council press release November 2025, reported by londonpropertylicensing.co.uk). At the time of writing the fee was not yet listed on the council's own published fee schedule beyond the press-release figures — landlords should verify the final fee on the council's licensing portal before applying. The licence is valid for up to 5 years. LICENCE CONDITIONS: All licensed properties must meet standards covering health and safety, fire precautions, gas and electrical safety, structural condition, freedom from serious hazards (Category 1 hazards under HHSRS), and management practices. Required documentation typically includes annual gas safety certificate, valid EICR, EPC, written tenancy agreements, and evidence of competent property management. Tenant complaint handling and waste management arrangements are also conditions of the licence. APPLICATION PROCESS: Online via Hackney's property licensing portal. The council will monitor and inspect properties prior to issuing licences. Where the council finds substandard units it will work with landlords to bring them up to standard rather than refuse outright in the first instance, but persistent failures will lead to refusal or revocation. No tacit consent — submitting an application is the start of the process, not the end. EXEMPTIONS: Properties already licensed as Mandatory or Additional HMOs do not need a separate selective licence. Properties controlled or managed by a Local Housing Authority, registered providers of social housing, registered social landlords, or registered education establishments are exempt. Buildings occupied only by family members of the landlord, long leases over 21 years, holiday lets, and properties subject to an Interim or Final Management Order are exempt. Full statutory exemptions are listed on the selective licence designation notice. ENFORCEMENT AND PENALTIES: Operating without a required licence is a criminal offence. Penalties include unlimited fines on conviction or civil financial penalties up to £30,000 per offence, Rent Repayment Orders for up to 12 months' rent, entry on the database of rogue landlords, Banning Orders, and licence refusal/revocation affecting fit-and-proper-person status. Hackney Council has publicly committed to active enforcement against landlords who put tenants at risk or fail to meet their obligations (source: hackneycitizen.co.uk reporting on Cabinet decision 1 December 2025). Spokesperson Jae Vail of the London Renters Union has called for proper enforcement of the new scheme, indicating high tenant scrutiny is expected. CONTACT: Hackney Council Property Licensing team via the council's licensing portal at hackney.gov.uk/property-licensing.

Areas: Borough-wide selective licensing for all privately rented properties

Fee: £500

SCHEME OVERVIEW: Hackney Council's Cabinet approved new additional and selective licensing schemes on 24 November 2025, replacing the previous schemes that ran from 1 October 2018 to October 2023. Both new schemes come into force on 1 May 2026 and will run for 5 years. Landlords have been able to apply since 1 March 2026 in advance of the start date (source: hackney.gov.uk/property-licensing and news.hackney.gov.uk announcement 26 November 2025). IMPORTANT: between October 2023 and 1 May 2026 there is a temporary gap in additional licensing in Hackney — only Mandatory HMO licensing (5+ persons) has been in force borough-wide during this gap. WHO NEEDS A LICENCE: From 1 May 2026, the new additional licensing scheme applies BOROUGH-WIDE and extends licensing to most Houses in Multiple Occupation including shared accommodation and bedsit-HMOs occupied by 3 or 4 people forming 2 or more households. This includes houses, flats in converted houses, and individual flats in blocks. Where flats in a block are occupied by 3 or more unrelated people, they remain individually licensable. The ONE EXEMPTION is Section 257 HMOs — buildings converted into self-contained flats where the conversion did not comply with the 1991 Building Regulations. Section 257 buildings as a whole are excluded from Hackney's additional scheme, although individual flats within them may still need licensing if occupied by 3+ unrelated people. RATIONALE: Private rented homes make up nearly a third of residential properties in Hackney. A recent independent review of Hackney's private rented sector found that a significant proportion of privately rented homes may contain serious hazards — almost double the national average. For HMOs the situation is more severe: 30% of HMOs in the borough are predicted to contain a serious hazard, three times the national average (source: news.hackney.gov.uk and hackneycitizen.co.uk reporting on the independent BRE review). Mayor of Hackney Caroline Woodley and Cllr Sem Moema, Deputy Cabinet Member for Private Renting and Housing Affordability, have both publicly confirmed the scheme is designed to raise standards and give the council stronger enforcement tools alongside the Renters' Rights Act 2025. FEES: The additional licence application fee will be £1,400 per property (source: hackney council press release November 2025, reported by londonpropertylicensing.co.uk/landlords-hackney-warned-prepare-new-property-licensing-schemes). For comparison, the existing Mandatory HMO fee is £950 with a reduced rate of £875 for landlords accredited under the London Landlord Accreditation Scheme (LLAS). At the time of writing the new additional and selective fees were not yet listed on the council's own published fee schedule beyond the press-release figures — landlords should verify the final fee on the council's licensing portal before applying. LICENCE CONDITIONS: Property must be free from serious hazards, well-maintained, and provide adequate facilities for the number of occupants. Appropriate fire safety measures (alarms, fire doors, emergency lighting). Annual gas safety certificate. Valid Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). Clear written tenancy agreements. Prompt response to tenant complaints. Proper waste disposal arrangements. Statutory minimum bedroom sizes apply throughout England under HMO licensing — Hackney can ask for larger sizes. The licence holder is normally the property owner; for "rent to rent" or guaranteed rent arrangements the council will usually still seek to licence the owner as the most appropriate person. APPLICATION PROCESS: Online via Hackney's property licensing portal. The council inspects and monitors properties prior to issuing licences and works with landlords whose units are found to be substandard. No tacit consent — applicants should not assume a licence has been granted simply because no response has been received. ENFORCEMENT AND PENALTIES: Operating without a required licence is a criminal offence under section 72 of the Housing Act 2004. Landlords face unlimited fines on conviction, civil financial penalties up to £30,000 per offence as an alternative to prosecution, Rent Repayment Orders requiring repayment of up to 12 months' rent, entry on the database of rogue landlords, and Banning Orders. Section 21 notices are invalid where the property is unlicensed; from 1 May 2026 (when Section 21 is also abolished under the Renters' Rights Act 2025) the no-fault possession grounds will likewise be unavailable. CONTACT: Hackney Council Property Licensing team via the council's licensing portal at hackney.gov.uk/property-licensing.

Areas: Borough-wide additional licensing for HMOs with 3 or 4 people forming 2 or more households

Fee: £1,100