London · Council licensing
Landlord licensing in Southwark
✓ Hand-verified 19 Aug 2026Southwark operates discretionary property licensing. Letting an unlicensed property where a scheme applies risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000 and a rent repayment order — check whether your property is covered below.
Required for any HMO let to 5 or more people forming 2+ households who share facilities.
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued.
| Part A | £1,157.50 |
| Part B | £496 |
| Total | £1,653.50 |
| Each letting | £110 |
- Discounts: Gold Standard Charter landlords 50 per cent off Part B, Gold Standard plus finders fee removes Part B entirely, registered charities 50 per cent off both parts
Southwark — southwark.gov.uk, read 19 Aug 2026
Southwark operates selective licensing through a series of separate ward designations rather than a single borough-wide scheme, so whether a property needs a licence depends on which ward it sits in and which designation covers it. Designation 3 covers North Walworth, Nunhead and Queen's Road, Old Kent Road and Peckham. Designation 4 covers Camberwell Green, Chaucer, Dulwich Hill, Dulwich Wood, London Bridge and West Bermondsey, Peckham Rye, Rotherhithe, Rye Lane, South Bermondsey and Surrey Docks. Earlier designations were made in October 2021 and December 2022. Each designation runs for five years from its own start date, so they expire at different times. Selective licensing applies to privately rented homes that are not already caught by mandatory or additional HMO licensing, which means an ordinary flat or a house let to a single household. The council splits the fee into two payments: an application charge covering processing, then a further charge before the licence is issued, covering enforcement. Because the designations differ, a landlord should check their specific address against the council's published lists rather than assume a borough-wide position. Letting without a required licence is a criminal offence carrying a civil penalty of up to £30,000 or prosecution, and exposes the landlord to a rent repayment order.
Areas: Four designations. Designations 1 and 2, made 28 October 2021, in force 1 March 2022 to 28 February 2027: Champion Hill, Faraday, Goose Green, Newington, St Giles. Designations 3 and 4, made 6 December 2022 and confirmed by the Secretary of State 14 June 2023, in force 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2028. Designation 3: North Walworth, Nunhead and Queen's Road, Old Kent Road, Peckham. Designation 4: Camberwell Green, Chaucer, Dulwich Hill, Dulwich Wood, London Bridge and West Bermondsey, Peckham Rye, Rotherhithe, Rye Lane, South Bermondsey, Surrey Docks
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued.
| Part A | £661.50 |
| Part B | £283.50 |
| Total | £945 |
Southwark, read 19 August 2026
Scheme runs until: 28 February 2027
Southwark operates an additional licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation, declared on 28 October 2021. It extends licensing to shared properties that fall outside the national mandatory regime, typically those let to three or four people forming two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, and it covers section 257 HMOs, which are converted blocks of flats where the conversion did not meet the Building Regulations in force at the time. There is no charge for a section 257 HMO licence. Mandatory HMO licensing continues to apply separately wherever a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households. Because Southwark also runs selective licensing across a number of wards, a landlord should establish which of the three schemes catches a given property before applying. Letting a licensable HMO without a licence carries a civil penalty of up to £30,000 or prosecution, and exposes the landlord to a rent repayment order.
Areas: Borough-wide. Made 28 October 2021
Paid in two parts — one on application, the balance before the licence is issued.
| Part A | £1,017.50 |
| Part B | £415.50 |
| Total | £1,433 |
Southwark, read 19 August 2026
Scheme runs until: 1 March 2027
Common questions
Does Southwark have a selective licensing scheme?
Yes. Southwark operates a selective licensing scheme. Letting a property covered by it without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and the loss of the right to serve a section 21 notice.
Does Southwark have an additional HMO licensing scheme?
Yes. Southwark operates an additional HMO licensing scheme. Letting a property covered by it without a licence risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000, a rent repayment order of up to twelve months' rent, and the loss of the right to serve a section 21 notice.
Do I need an HMO licence in Southwark?
A mandatory HMO licence is required anywhere in England and Wales, including Southwark, where a property is let to five or more people forming two or more households who share basic amenities. Smaller shared houses may also need a licence where an additional licensing scheme applies.
- Free landlord compliance check — five questions, no account
- Tenancy agreement checker — findings cited to the Act and section
Selective licensing in Southwark: areas, dates and fees →
Additional HMO licensing in Southwark: areas, dates and fees →
All property licensing in London →
Source: Southwark licensing page →
Every landlord in Southwark also needs
A valid Gas Safety certificate (annual), an EICR (every 5 years), a valid EPC, a protected deposit, smoke & CO alarms, the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet, and a current How to Rent guide — plus the new Section 8 possession rules since Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026.
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