Additional HMO licensing in Lewisham
Yes. Lewisham operates an additional HMO licensing scheme. Letting a covered property without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £40,000 and a rent repayment order of up to two years' rent.
Common questions
Do I need an additional HMO licence in Lewisham?
Yes. Lewisham operates an additional HMO licensing scheme. Letting a covered property without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £40,000 and a rent repayment order of up to two years' rent.
Which areas of Lewisham does the scheme cover?
Borough-wide. Section 257 HMOs excluded. Confirm a specific address against the council's own designation map before applying.
When does Lewisham's scheme end?
The designation runs until 4 April 2027, unless the council revokes it earlier under section 84 of the Housing Act 2004.
What does the licence cost?
£500. Councils commonly discount for accredited landlords and early applications; confirm the current figure with Lewisham before budgeting.
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued.
| Part 1 | £250 |
| Part 2 | £250 |
| Total | £500 |
| Each LETTABLE UNIT | £500 |
Lewisham — lewisham.gov.uk, read 19 Aug 2026
What the designation says
Lewisham operates a borough-wide additional licensing scheme, introduced on 22 April 2022 and running for at least five years. It covers smaller houses in multiple occupation that fall outside the national mandatory regime: properties let to three or more people who are not from one household and who share facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom. Mandatory licensing continues to apply separately to HMOs of five or more people. Because Lewisham also runs near borough-wide selective licensing from 1 July 2024, almost every private let in the borough now needs a licence of one kind or another, and a landlord should establish which scheme catches a given property before applying. Letting a licensable HMO without a licence carries a civil penalty of up to £40,000 or prosecution, and exposes the landlord to a rent repayment order. A SECOND ADDITIONAL DESIGNATION APPEARS TO EXIST. Lewisham's committee record (lewisham.moderngov.co.uk, issue 18356) records "the designation of an additional licensing scheme for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) above commercial premises in the whole of the Council's area" — a different scope from the borough-wide small-HMO scheme described above, not a restatement of it. Its commencement and duration are not yet established here. A landlord letting an HMO above a shop should treat licensing as likely to apply and confirm directly with Lewisham. We record both rather than replacing one with the other, because a narrower designation existing alongside a wider one is not a correction to the wider one. The £40,000 ceiling applies to offences committed on or after 1 May 2026; the £30,000 ceiling still applies to offences committed before that date.
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 £40,000 per offence and a rent repayment order of up to two years' rent. Both maxima apply to conduct on or after 1 May 2026; before that date they were £30,000 and twelve months. Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026 and possession now runs through the amended section 8 grounds. Mandatory HMO licensing applies separately and everywhere, wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households.
Information tool, not legal advice. Confirm the position with Lewisham before letting.