Selective licensing in Hammersmith & Fulham

What the designation says

Hammersmith & Fulham operates a Selective Licensing Scheme covering 24 named streets, running from 5 June 2022 until 4 June 2027 (five-year designation renewed alongside the additional HMO scheme on 6 December 2021). The scheme replaced the previous 2017 scheme, which had originally covered 128 streets — the renewal substantially reduced street coverage to focus on busy roads, flats above shops, and roads with a significant private rented sector concentration, using a "Simplex Method" predictive model that analysed antisocial behaviour data alongside PRS density to keep the designation under the 20% threshold that would otherwise require Secretary of State approval. A selective licence is required for any house or flat let to a single household or to two unrelated sharers (i.e. lettings that fall outside both mandatory HMO and additional HMO licensing) where the property is on one of the 24 designated streets. The 24 streets are: Askew Road, Baron's Court Road, Bloemfontein Road, Blythe Road, Coningham Road, Crookham Road, Dalling Road, Dawes Road, Fulham Road, Goldhawk Road, Greyhound Road, King Street, Lime Grove, New King's Road, North End Road, Richmond Way, Scrubs Lane, Shepherd's Bush Road, Sinclair Road, Talgarth Road, Uxbridge Road, Wandsworth Bridge Road, Wood Lane, and Woodstock Grove. Eight of these streets (Baron's Court Road, Blythe Road, Coningham Road, Crookham Road, Greyhound Road, Richmond Way, Sinclair Road, Wandsworth Bridge Road) were newly added in 2022 and were not in the previous designation. Some properties are exempt, including Local Housing Authority and Registered Social Landlord tenancies, family-member rentals, owner-occupiers letting up to two lodgers, and HMOs that are licensable under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004. The selective licence application fee is £742 per property (correct as of January 2026), with the same £80 accredited-landlord or £50 Landlord Rental Charter discount as the additional scheme, and the same 50/50 Part 1/Part 2 split. The council estimates around 6,000 properties fall within scope. Operating an unlicensed selective property exposes the landlord to unlimited fines on prosecution, civil penalties up to £30,000, Rent Repayment Orders of up to 12 months rent, and entry on the Rogue Landlord Checker. [RE-VERIFIED 4 Aug 2026: designation confirmed as decided 6 December 2021, in force 5 June 2022, ceasing 4 June 2027. As at this date NO renewal, extension or replacement has been designated or published and no successor consultation has been announced. Expiry deliberately not rolled forward. RE-CHECK BEFORE 4 JUNE 2027.]

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.

Hammersmith & Fulham's own licensing page →