Additional HMO licensing · London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2025 (Cabinet cited it as the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2024)
- Status
- In force
- Runs
- 9 January 2025 to 8 January 2030
- Designated
- 9 October 2024
- Fee
- £1,400 for a licence: £1,000 when you apply and £400 later. If the HMO meets the council's standards when it is inspected, the second payment is £200 less (£1,200 in all), or £250 less (£1,150 in all) if you are also an accredited landlord. You lose the discount if the HMO was let without a licence for more than three months, if the fit and proper checks raise concerns, if certificates aren't compliant, or if there are alterations without planning or building regulations approval. An HMO let without a licence for more than three months before you apply gets a one-year licence.
- Applies to
- HMOs anywhere in Barking and Dagenham that don't need a mandatory licence, usually homes where three or four people from two or more households share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, including shared flats in purpose-built blocks. Converted blocks of flats (section 257 HMOs) are left out, and their flats need a selective licence instead. Exempt: homes let by the council or a housing association, HMOs run by a registered charity, an owner's home with up to two lodgers, other buildings the law says aren't HMOs, and HMOs under a management order or with a temporary exemption.
Our records last verified 18 October 2026 · council designation page · licence conditions
Area covered
The scheme covers the whole of London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Every privately rented property in the borough that meets the scheme’s criteria needs a licence, wherever it is.
What this means for landlords
Additional HMO licensing extends licensing to shared homes below the national 5-person mandatory threshold. If your property in this area houses unrelated sharers, check the scheme’s occupancy criteria. Running a licensable HMO without a licence carries the same penalties as any licensing offence: a civil penalty of up to £40,000 and a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent.
Is your property inside the scheme area?
This checker reflects HouseFile’s records of council licensing designations, not the councils’ live registers. Our records indicate the position at the verification date shown on each result. Schemes are designated, renewed and revoked throughout the year, and postcode-level lookups are approximate near scheme boundaries. Always confirm with the council before letting or buying a property, using the source link on each card. This is general information, not legal advice.
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