Additional HMO licensing · London Borough of Lambeth
London Borough of Lambeth Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing
- Status
- In force
- Runs
- 9 December 2021 to 8 December 2026
- Designated
- 8 September 2021
- Fee
- £550 for each room used for sleeping: £366.67 a room when you apply and £183.33 a room when the licence is granted, so an HMO with three such rooms costs £1,650 (£1,100 and £550). For a converted block of flats (a section 257 HMO) the fee is charged for each flat. If the licence holder is an accredited landlord or agent, or a member of a scheme the council recognises, the second part is £75 less. You lose the discount if the council has had to ask twice for documents or has sent you a warning letter for not licensing the property. Fees from 1 April 2026.
- Applies to
- HMOs across Lambeth that don't need a mandatory licence: homes let to three or more people from two or more households who share facilities. This includes shared flats in purpose-built blocks of more than two flats where three or more people live in the flat. It also includes converted blocks of self-contained flats (section 257 HMOs) where the conversion doesn't meet the 1991 Building Regulations and less than two thirds of the flats are owner occupied. Exempt: the kinds of building exempt from HMO licensing by law, such as buildings managed by the council or a social landlord, and student housing managed by the educational establishment.
Our records last verified 18 October 2026 · council designation page · licence conditions
Area covered
The scheme covers the whole of London Borough of Lambeth. Every privately rented property in the borough that meets the scheme’s criteria needs a licence, wherever it is.
London Borough of Lambeth also runs its own address-level lookup: check whether a specific address falls inside the scheme.
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.
If you hold a licence here, HouseFile can track its renewal date
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