Landlord licensing in Kingston upon Thames

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

Kingston upon Thames does not operate a selective licensing scheme and has not designated one in any part of the borough. Selective licensing would require every privately rented home in a designated area to hold a licence regardless of how many people occupy it. A landlord letting an ordinary self-contained flat or a single-family house in Kingston therefore needs no property licence on selective grounds. Mandatory HMO licensing continues to apply borough-wide wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet.

Kingston upon Thames does not currently operate an additional licensing scheme. The Royal Borough previously ran one, and that designation ended on 28 February 2023. The council said in January 2023 that it had no plans to replace it, and no new designation has been made since. Smaller shared houses let to three or four people forming two or more households are therefore outside licensing in Kingston, unlike in neighbouring boroughs that run borough-wide additional schemes. Only the national mandatory HMO regime applies: a licence is required where a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. The published mandatory HMO fee is £285 per letting. Because a lapsed scheme can be re-designated, a landlord planning a shared let should confirm the current position with the council before letting.