Landlord licensing in Islington

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

Fee: £1,100

SCHEME OVERVIEW: London Borough of Islington operates a Selective Licensing scheme that is being EXPANDED. The current designation came into force on 20 May 2024 and runs until 19 May 2029 (5-year designation). It replaced the previous Finsbury Park-only scheme that ran from 1 February 2021. On 23 October 2025 Islington Council's Executive resolved to expand selective licensing to seven additional wards (source: londonpropertylicensing.co.uk/islington and islington.media/news/thousands-more-renters-to-benefit-as-landlord-licensing-scheme-expands). LEGAL BASIS: Designation under section 80 of the Housing Act 2004. CURRENT COVERAGE (since 20 May 2024): 3 wards — FINSBURY PARK, TOLLINGTON, HILLRISE. Notes: the scheme uses post-May 2022 ward boundaries. ANNOUNCED EXPANSION (date of effect TBC by council): 7 additional wards — BARNSBURY, CALEDONIAN, TUFNELL PARK, MILDMAY, HIGHBURY, JUNCTION, LAYCOCK. The Executive approved the expansion on 23 October 2025 but Islington Council had not confirmed the start date as of the latest update. Verify current status at islington.gov.uk/housing/private-sector-housing/landlords/houses-in-multiple-occupation-hmos before applying. Once in force, the scheme will cover 10 wards in total. WHO NEEDS A LICENCE: All privately rented houses or flats occupied by either 1 or 2 people (irrespective of relationship) or by a single household/family within the designated wards. Use the postcode checker on islington.gov.uk to confirm whether a property is in a designated ward. Note: the Finsbury Park ward has changed boundaries since 2022 — the licensing area may differ from current ward maps. EVIDENCE BASE: Nearly a third of homes in Islington are privately rented (~74,000 residents including over 4,600 children/young people). Finsbury Park ward has the poorest housing conditions in private rented property in the borough and higher levels of deprivation. FEES: £850 per property. Two-part instalments. Discounts: £75 for accredited landlords/managing agents; £50 for EPC rating A-C. No discounts where late application or missing documents. LICENCE CONDITIONS: Kitchen/bathroom facilities, room sizes, fire safety, gas safety (annual certificate), electrical safety (5-year EICR), waste management, anti-social behaviour management, fit and proper person test, written tenancy agreements. ENFORCEMENT: Section 95(1) Housing Act 2004 — operating unlicensed is a criminal offence. Civil financial penalty up to £30,000 per offence. Unlimited fine on conviction. RROs up to 12 months (24 months under Renters' Rights Act 2025). Section 21 invalid where unlicensed. CONTACT: propertylicensing.islington.gov.uk online application portal.

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

Fee: £650

Scheme runs until: 30 June 2028

SCHEME OVERVIEW: London Borough of Islington operates a BOROUGH-WIDE Additional HMO Licensing Scheme. The original scheme came into force on 1 February 2021 for 5 years. On 23 October 2025 Islington Council's Executive resolved to renew the borough-wide additional licensing scheme. The renewed scheme came into force on 1 February 2026 and runs until 2031 (source: islington.media/news/thousands-more-renters-to-benefit-as-landlord-licensing-scheme-expands and londonpropertylicensing.co.uk/islington). LEGAL BASIS: Designation under section 56 of the Housing Act 2004. LICENSED PROPERTY VOLUMES (April 2024 baseline): 567 properties under Mandatory HMO; 3,247 properties under Additional HMO; 1,719 properties under Selective. Estimated coverage: ~700 mandatory, ~3,500 additional, ~5,000 selective. A pilot HMO licensing scheme in Caledonian and Holloway Roads has been in place since 2015. WHO NEEDS A LICENCE: Any privately rented property occupied by 3 or 4 unrelated people forming 2+ households sharing facilities. Includes section 257 HMOs — RESTRICTED to situations where ALL flats are privately rented AND under one single freehold ownership AND the conversion did not meet Building Regulations 1991. All flats let to 3+ unrelated people forming 2+ households located within a purpose-built block of flats not covered by mandatory. FEES: Charged per letting (each bedsit room or bedroom in a shared house/flat). Application fee £900 + £100 per letting (£1,400 for a 5-person shared house). Different fee rates for section 257 HMOs (£288 per bedroom or £703 for a block of flats under single ownership per Kamma reporting). Two-part instalments. Discounts: £75 for accredited landlords/managing agents; £50 for EPC rating A-C. NO discounts where late application, council warning letter for failure to licence, or two requests for missing documents. LICENCE CONDITIONS: Kitchen/bathroom facilities, room sizes, fire safety, gas safety (annual certificate), electrical safety (5-year EICR), waste management, anti-social behaviour management, fit and proper person test for licence holder. ENFORCEMENT: Section 95(1) Housing Act 2004 — operating an unlicensed licensable property is a criminal offence. Civil financial penalty up to £30,000 per offence. Unlimited fine on conviction. RROs up to 12 months (24 months under Renters' Rights Act 2025). Section 21 invalid where unlicensed. Tenants can verify via Islington Landlord Licence Public Register. CONTACT: propertylicensing.islington.gov.uk online application portal.

Areas: Borough-wide additional licensing covering all HMOs with 3 or 4 occupants forming 2 or more households

Fee: £650