Additional HMO licensing · London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets Additional Licensing Scheme 2023 (borough-wide)
- Status
- In force
- Runs
- 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2029
- Designated
- 25 October 2023
- Fee
- £1,323 if you apply online and pay in one go, with no extra charge per room. Paying in two parts costs £1,405.50 (£618 and £787.50). A postal application costs £1,550.50. The council lists no discount for accredited landlords.
- Applies to
- Every privately let HMO that doesn't need a mandatory licence, flats included: homes let to three or more people from two or more households, however many storeys. Also purpose-built blocks of three or more flats with five or more tenants from two or more households.
Our records last verified 1 October 2026 · council designation page
Area covered
The scheme covers the whole of London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Every privately rented property in the borough that meets the scheme’s criteria needs a licence, wherever it is.
London Borough of Tower Hamlets 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
14 days free · no card needed