Additional HMO licensing · London Borough of Islington
London Borough of Islington Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2025 (council page name: Additional licensing)
- Status
- In force
- Runs
- 1 February 2026 to 31 January 2031
- Designated
- 30 October 2025
- Fee
- £900 plus £100 for each letting, with the letting charge capped at 21 lettings: £500 when you apply, then £400 plus £100 a letting if the council issues a draft licence. A letting is a bedsit, a bedroom in a shared house or flat, or a self-contained flat let to one household inside an HMO, so a house shared by three tenants in three bedrooms costs £1,200. A converted block of flats (a section 257 HMO) costs £800 per building: £450 and £350. If the application is refused, the first part isn't refunded. Discounts come off the second part: £75 if the licence holder shows proof of membership of a recognised accreditation body when applying, £50 for a valid EPC rated A, B or C, and £25 if you have held a licence for the property under one of the council's earlier five-year schemes. If more than one discount applies, they add together. Fees from 1 February 2026.
- Applies to
- Shared homes (HMOs) anywhere in Islington let to three or four people from two or more households, including flats in purpose-built blocks, that don't need a mandatory licence. Also buildings converted into three or more self-contained flats that don't meet the 1991 Building Regulations, where every flat is privately rented and the building and flats have the same owner, including buildings in mixed-use developments or above non-residential premises. Exempt: HMOs under a management order or with a temporary exemption, and buildings the law says aren't HMOs.
Our records last verified 18 October 2026 · council designation page · licence conditions
Area covered
The scheme covers the whole of London Borough of Islington. 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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