Additional HMO licensing · London Borough of Southwark
The London Borough of Southwark Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2022
- Status
- In force
- Runs
- 1 March 2022 to 1 March 2027
- Designated
- 28 October 2021
- Fee
- £1,433 from 1 April 2026, paid in two parts: £1,017.50 when you apply and £415.50 on approval. Licences for converted blocks of flats (section 257 HMOs) are free. Gold Standard Charter landlords get half off the second part, or all of it if they're also in the finders' fee scheme. Registered charities providing affordable or specially adapted housing get half off both parts. Paying by invoice adds £60.50, and a paper application adds £179.70.
- Applies to
- Every HMO in Southwark that doesn't need a mandatory licence, which in practice means homes shared by three or four people from two or more households. Also buildings of three or more storeys converted into three or more flats owned or managed by the same person (section 257 HMOs), and shared flats in purpose-built blocks of three or more flats. The council's designation lists the exemptions.
Our records last verified 1 October 2026 · council designation page · licence conditions
Area covered
The scheme covers the whole of London Borough of Southwark. Every privately rented property in the borough that meets the scheme’s criteria needs a licence, wherever it is.
London Borough of Southwark 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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