Landlord Licensing for Private Rented Properties

Types of licence

There are three different types of licences:

1. Selective licensing
   1. Designation Area of Brooklands and Romford Town Wards only, in effect from 25 January 2021 until 24 January 2026
   2. List of addresses designated for Selective Licensing in Havering as agreed at the 14 October 2020 cabinet meeting.
2. Additional licensing
   1. Scheme 1 Designation Area in effect from 1 March 2018 until 28 February 2023
      • No new application required at this time for the Scheme 1 Designated Area. Please check here for updates.
   2. Scheme 2 Designation Area in effect from 25 January 2021 until 24 January 2026
      • List of addresses designated for Additional Licensing in Havering as agreed at the 14 October 2020 cabinet meeting.
3. Mandatory licensing
   1. From 1 October 2018, you must get a mandatory licence if you rent out a property occupied by 5 or more people from 2 or more households with shared facilities such as a kitchen, bathroom or toilet.

You must licence each property you rent out in the designated areas.

If you do not have a valid licence you may be prosecuted and fined for each unlicensed property.

Operating an unlicensed property that requires a property licence is a criminal offence and may be punishable by prosecution of a financial penalty of up to £30,000.

More information can be found on the London Property Licensing website.

Licence fees

Selective and additional licence fees are split into two payments as set out below and it’s usually valid for 5 years.

*A £35 discount on the Part B fee only is available to accredited landlords. To qualify certificates and membership numbers must be supplied at time of application.

Multiple property discount

From 1 April 2023 there is a discount of £100 per dwelling in the same building, after the first licence, providing each of the dwellings have common ownership and management control.

Discounts will not be applicable where the Local Authority has served a warning letter for failure to licence the property.

Mandatory licence

A mandatory licence fee depends on the number of rooms in the property. Fees are split into two payments as set out below.

The tables below contains details of charges applied depending on the actions / results of your licence(s).

Property licence fee refunds policy

We will give you a refund if:

• you have made a duplicate application
• you made an application for an exempted property by mistake

Please note if a refund is agreed, we will only refund to the original payee by the same method of payment used eg via original credit card used. 

We will not give you a refund if: 

• we refuse your application but we will not take the second (Part B) fee
• you sell or stop letting your property because the initial fee (Part A) is non-refundable once the application is submitted but if the property ceases to be licensable before a draft licence is issued, the Part B fee will not be taken
• you withdraw your application (other than for the reasons stated above)
• you have had a Prohibition Notice served on the property 
• we revoke (take away) your licence 
• you change your mind and want to change licence type from HMO to Selective 
• you are refused planning permission for an Additional or Mandatory HMO 

Our fees are not connected to the length of a licence. If you cancel your licence before it expires, we cannot give you a refund for any unused time.

Any unusual situations which may arise will be considered by the enforcement panel on a case by case basis.

Havering licence application form and guide

Before starting your application please make sure you have understood what you will be applying for based on the area the property is in and the planning rules. Please also read our Private Rented Property Licensing Guide for Landlords and Managing Agents

Apply for a property licence

If this is your first application, you will first need to create an account (this system is not connected to your ‘My Havering’ account). Once this has been created, you can use the same ID and password for all of your rental properties.

A welcome email will be sent after you create an account, with a link to set your password. If you do not receive this email within a few minutes, please check your Spam or Junk folder before contacting the licensing department for assistance.

Please note that due to the large number of licenses received, it may take longer than normal to issue your licence.

You may continue to rent your property before the licence is issued as long as your application has been submitted, but if you have an urgent need, such as applying for a mortgage or for a court case, please let us know at the email below.

Apply for a licence

You may request a paper application form by contacting us by telephone on 01708 432006 or 01708 432777 or by email at landlordlicensing@havering.gov.uk

The selective licence scheme in Havering

To rent a house or flat to a single family or 1-2 unrelated occupants in the Brooklands or Romford Town wards, you require a selective licence from 25 January 2021.

The additional and mandatory HMO licence scheme in Havering

To rent out a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) in Havering you will need a licence.

The licence you need will depend on the type, where it is, size and number of people living in the property.

A licence requires you to meet the Private Rented property Licensing Accommodation Standards to keep your property safe and in good condition for you and your tenants.

Please note that we do not provide free surveys or advice to landlords and may not carry out a property inspection before issuing a licence. If you require a pre-application visit and advice an extra charge may be made for this service.

It is the responsibility of landlords / licence holders to make sure the HMO meets the required fire safety and facility standards and is free from serious hazards or disrepair.

Information on the minimum recommended fire safety requirements in HMOs can be found in the LACORS guidance.

HMOs and planning rules

If you want to operate a house as an HMO, it must have the correct class of planning use. You may need to change it from C3 (dwelling house) to C4 (houses in multiple occupation).

There is no guarantee that your planning application will be approved, but if you rent out your property you must have a property licence. If you are refused planning permission we cannot refund your licence fee.

Planning consent for change of use explained

With the introduction of Article 4 on the 13 July 2016, Havering Council removed all permitted development rights for Use Class C4 HMO, in the following way. 

Direction Notice 1

This is for Brooklands, Romford Town, Heaton and Gooshays wards.

The effect of this Article 4 Direction is that permitted development rights to change any dwelling located with these four wards into a house in multiple occupation do not apply and planning permission will be required.

Direction Notice 2

This is for the whole of the borough, except Brooklands, Romford Town, Gooshays and Heaton wards.

The effect of this Article 4 Direction is that permitted development rights to change a dwelling which is a flat, terraced house or semi-detached house located within any part of the borough other than the four wards above into a house in multiple occupation do not apply and planning permission will be required.

In short, planning consent is required for both Use Class C4 HMO (small HMO of 3 to 6 occupants) and Use Class Sui Generis (large HMO of 7+ occupants)

We have therefore introduced a 1 year licence for any House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) application, which has been submitted without having planning consent already approved for a "change of use" from a single household dwelling (Use Class C3) to a House of Multiple Occupation (Use Class C4) and/or changes from an existing smaller HMO (Use Class C4) to a larger HMO (Use Class Sui Generis). 

Exceptions to Planning consent may apply to those premises that have paid for and obtained a Certificate of Lawful Use (COLU) for the HMO sought in the license.

A COLU may be granted where:

• the premises that have acquired established use status due to the passage of time (10-year rule)
• Use Class C4 HMOs existed prior to 13 July 2016 (when permitted development rights were still allowed for Use Class C4 HMO)

For COLU applications, to be classed as an established use Class C4 HMO, landlords will have to prove that the Use Class C4 HMO existed prior to this date (13 July 2016) or that the HMO has existed for more than 10 years (10-year rule).

For Use Class Sui Generis HMO the passage of time for established use is 10 years (10-year rule).

Copies of past accounts and tenancy agreements may provide this information and with other suitable evidence should be submitted with applications for COLU. 

For further details regarding Planning and HMO please see the Article 4 Directions. 

Submitting a Planning or Certificate of Lawfulness application can be made online through the Planning portal website.

Please also read the Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy Revision Cabinet Report.