Apply for a private property licence
Private rented property licensing in Lewisham
There are two types of property licensing in Lewisham:
- licensing for houses in multiple occupation (HMO)
- licensing for single occupancy privately rented properties (otherwise known as ‘Selective licensing’)
HMO licensing
HMO licensing is in operation in all part of Lewisham borough and includes:
Mandatory Nation HMO Licensing
For HMOs of more than 5 people. This is a national licensing scheme in operation across the country.
Your property is defined as a large HMO if:
- it’s rented to five or more people who form more than one household, and
- some or all of the tenants share toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities, and
- at least one tenant pays rent
Additional HMO Licensing
Introduced in the borough of Lewisham on 22 April 2022 for smaller HMOs that are not covered by the national scheme. This will apply for at least the next 5 years.
A smaller HMO is a property:
- rented out by at least three people
- who are not from one ‘household’ (for example a family)
- but share facilities like the bathroom and kitchen
Tenants in the London borough of Lewisham have a right to expect well-managed, decent and safe standard of private rented accommodation. If you own or manage a rental property of any kind, it’s likely that you will need a licence.
If you don't get a licence, you could get an unlimited fine upon prosecution and a criminal record or receive a civil penalty of up to £30,000 per offence, and may be banned from running a rental property.
All you need to do is provide accurate information about your property and its occupants - the system will identify the type of licence you need.
What you’ll need
Make sure you have the following information to hand before starting your application:
- details of the person or organisation making the application
- details of the proposed licence holder (a person or organisation)
- details of the property, including the number of rooms and facilities
- the number of households and tenants you want the property to be licensed for
- a tenancy information pack including up to date certification:
- electrical inspection certificate
- gas safety certificate
- EPC certificate
- fire risk assessment
- emergency lighting system documentation
- portable appliance test certificate(s)
- fire detection warning documentation
- building control certificate of completion
We may also ask to see floor plans in advance of your inspection - a member of the licensing team will contact you to discuss this.
Please ensure you are able to show the inspector the original documents (that were submitted as part of the tenancy information pack) on the day of the inspection.
Payment
We will ask you to pay for your licence in two parts. The first part is payable when you make your application. Your final payment will be taken automatically once we have taken the decision to issue you with a licence.
Refunds
We will always refund the first payment if your property was not licensable when you made your application. We will only consider refunding the first payment if your property needed a licence when you applied in exceptional circumstances.
Selective licensing
The Council has designated a new scheme that will come into force on 1 July 2024 and covers 18 wards within the Lewisham Borough, except Telegraph Hill and a small area of Blackheath. Please check our interactive map to find out if your property requires a selective licence:
If you want to rent out a property to a single person, two people or a single household you will need a licence.