Property licensing in London

29 of the 33 councils we track in London operate a selective or additional HMO licensing scheme — 88%. Mandatory HMO licensing applies in every one of them regardless, wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households. A licence from one council never covers a property in another.

What a licence costs in London

Across the 32 councils in London where we hold a published fee, the figures we have read run from £250 (Lewisham, mandatory HMO) to £2,648 (Bromley, mandatory HMO). That is 74 fees in total, taken from each council's own published schedule and shown in full on its page — most are banded by property size or unit count, so the headline is a starting point rather than the price. A fee is never a penalty: letting unlicensed where a scheme applies risks far more than the difference between the two figures above.

Councils with a scheme

The rest of London

No discretionary scheme is established for these councils. That means either the council has confirmed it operates none, or we have not established a position — each page says which. It never means a licence is definitely not needed: mandatory HMO licensing still applies, and a council can designate at any time.

Bromley · City of London · Kingston upon Thames · Richmond upon Thames

Information tool, not legal advice. Confirm the position with the council before letting.