Selective licensing in Lewisham

What the designation says

Lewisham operates a selective licensing scheme that came into force on 1 July 2024. It covers 18 wards — effectively the whole borough except Telegraph Hill and a small part of Blackheath — and around 20,000 properties. Nearly every privately rented home not already caught by the borough's HMO licensing schemes needs a selective licence, so an ordinary flat or a house let to a single household is covered as well as shared housing. Licences normally run for five years, though the council may issue a shorter one. The basic fee is £640, taken in two parts: £160 on application and £480 on grant. Discounts are applied to the second payment for accredited landlords, eligible charities and early applications, with a 20% reduction for applications made in the first three months of the scheme. Letting an unlicensed property is a criminal offence carrying a civil penalty of up to £30,000 or prosecution, and exposes the landlord to a rent repayment order.

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.

Lewisham's own licensing page →