Does my rental home need a property licence?
Some privately rented homes in London need a property licence. If your rented home needs a licence, the landlord is responsible for obtaining it.
Holding the correct property licence is a legal requirement and demonstrates that the property is suitable for occupation and managed to an acceptable standard. Find out if your property needs one!
Does my rental home need a property licence?
Some privately rented homes in London need a property licence. If your rented home needs a licence, the landlord is responsible for obtaining it.
Holding the correct property licence is a legal requirement and demonstrates that the property is suitable for occupation and managed to an acceptable standard.
If a tenant is concerned that you might not be complying with your legal obligations, they can check if you obtained the proper licence. If you haven't, or if they think you're breaching the terms of the licence, they might be entitled to claim some of your rent back.
Why do I need to know if my rented home needs a licence?
• If you have served a section 21 notice of possession, this will not be valid if you have failed to apply for or obtain the correct property licence on the date that the notice was served. Section 21 notices are used to begin eviction proceedings.
• Your Tenant may be entitled to apply for a Rent Repayment Order for the period in which your property does not have the correct licence. A rent repayment order is a financial award decided by a tribunal, requiring a landlord to pay back up to 12 months' rent to a tenant.
• If you have not obtained the correct property licence, you may be subject to enforcement action from your local council
What is property licensing?
Property licensing helps councils to crack down on rogue landlords. It can protect the health and safety of tenants and improve the quality of privately rented homes.
There are three different types of property licence:
• mandatory HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupation) licensing - covers most homes shared by 5 or more people, in 2 more households (i.e. where they are not all part of the same family), where some or all tenants share a toilet, bathroom or kitchen.
• additional HMO licensing - generally covers smaller homes shared by 3 or 4 people in 2 or more households, where some or all tenants share a toilet, bathroom or kitchen.
• selective licensing - can cover all privately rented properties in a specific area.
What property licensing schemes are there in London?
The map below displays the property licensing schemes currently in place in London.
If you would like more information on property licensing or how to go about ensuring your property is compliant with the latest legislation please get in touch using the contact form
