Overview
From 1 July 2024, the London Borough of Lewisham brought in a borough‑wide selective licensing scheme that means most privately rented homes now need a licence, on top of existing HMO licensing. By 2026, enforcement has shifted from introduction and early‑bird discounts to compliance checks and penalties for landlords who have not yet applied. This report summarises the current schemes, who needs a licence, the application process, costs, and key risks for private landlords, drawing directly on Lewisham Council’s official guidance and supporting specialist sources.
Current Licensing Schemes in Lewisham
Lewisham Council operates three main private rented property licensing schemes.
Mandatory HMO Licensing
The national mandatory HMO licence applies to larger Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) that are rented to five or more people forming more than one household who share kitchen, bathroom or toilet facilities. These properties must be licensed wherever they are in the borough. Examples include shared houses occupied by groups of professionals or students and buildings converted into bedsits with shared facilities.
Additional HMO Licensing
Lewisham introduced a borough‑wide additional HMO licensing scheme on 22 April 2022 for smaller HMOs that fall outside the national mandatory scheme. This covers properties rented to three or four people who are not from one household but share facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom and will run for at least five years from designation. Smaller shared houses and some converted properties fall into this category, meaning many more HMOs now need licences than under the previous regime.
Selective Licensing (Single Household Lets)
A selective licensing scheme for single‑household lets came into force in Lewisham on 1 July 2024, following government approval in December 2023. The scheme is intended to raise standards, tackle poor housing conditions and anti‑social behaviour, and applies to most privately rented properties that are not already covered by HMO licensing.
The selective scheme covers around 20,000 privately rented homes and operates through three designations that together include 16 of the 18 wards in the borough. Only Blackheath and Telegraph Hill are excluded because they did not meet the statutory conditions for designation.
Areas Covered and Which Properties Need a Licence
Wards Included in the Selective Licensing Scheme
Lewisham’s selective licensing designations cover the following wards (using the current naming, based on earlier consultation boundaries):
- Designation One: Brockley, Catford South, Lewisham Central, New Cross, Perry Vale, Rushey Green
- Designation Two: Crofton Park, Evelyn, Ladywell, Lee Green, Sydenham
- Designation Three: Bellingham, Downham, Forest Hill, Grove Park, Whitefoot
Within these wards, almost all privately rented properties occupied by a single household or two unrelated sharers require a selective licence, unless they are already licensed as HMOs.
When a Property Needs an HMO Licence Instead
Properties that meet the definition of an HMO due to the number of occupants and sharing of facilities require either a mandatory or additional HMO licence, even if they also fall within the selective licensing area. In practice:
- Five or more unrelated occupants sharing facilities → mandatory HMO licence.
- Three or four unrelated occupants sharing facilities → additional HMO licence.
Lewisham’s guidance makes clear that HMOs are not covered by the selective scheme; they must instead be licensed under the appropriate HMO category.
Properties Outside the Scheme
Only a minority of properties are outside the licensing system, primarily:
- Privately rented homes in the Blackheath and Telegraph Hill wards that are not HMOs.
- Certain exempt properties such as buildings managed by registered social housing providers or those covered by specific statutory exemptions.
Lewisham Council provides an online application portal that determines the correct licence type based on information entered about the property and its occupants.
Fees, Duration and Discounts
Selective Licensing Fees
Lewisham Council sets a basic fee of £640 per selective licence, payable in two instalments: £160 on application and £480 when the licence is granted. The standard licence term is up to five years, although the council may issue shorter licences in specific circumstances.
Discounts may be available for early applications, accredited landlords (for example, members of the London Landlord Accreditation Scheme or the National Residential Landlords Association), and certain charities, with reductions applied to the second payment.
HMO Licensing Fees
For mandatory and additional HMO licences, typical fees are around £500 per lettable unit, with higher charges for very large HMOs of 15 or more lettable units. As with selective licences, HMO licences are generally valid for up to five years.
Landlords are advised to check the latest fee tables on the Lewisham Council website or through the online application system, as charges can be updated during the life of the schemes.[3][4]
Application Process for a Private Property Licence
Lewisham sets out a clear online process for applying for both HMO and selective licences.
Step 1: Confirm Licence Type
Landlords or managing agents must first determine whether their property requires a selective, additional HMO, or mandatory HMO licence. This is done via the council’s private property licensing pages and the online system, which asks for details about the location, number of occupants, and how facilities are shared.
Step 2: Gather Required Documentation
Before starting the application, the council advises having key documents ready, including:
- Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
- Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
- Gas Safety Certificate, if there is a gas supply, or a declaration that the property has no gas
- Details of the owner, proposed licence holder and any managing agent
- Information about the number and size of rooms, facilities and occupants
For HMOs, additional information may be needed about fire safety measures, amenities, and management arrangements.
Step 3: Submit Online Application and Pay Initial Fee
Applications are submitted through Lewisham’s online property licensing portal, which is accessed from the council website. At this stage, the applicant pays the first part of the fee (for selective licences, £160) and uploads supporting documents.
Step 4: Council Checks and Possible Inspection
Once submitted, the council carries out an initial completeness check and may arrange a property inspection to verify conditions and compliance with licensing standards. Inspectors will assess matters such as fire precautions, room sizes, amenities, and general housing conditions.
Step 5: Licence Decision and Final Payment
If the application is approved, the council issues a draft licence, giving interested parties an opportunity to make representations before final issue. Once the licence terms are finalised, the council collects the second part of the fee (for selective licences, £480) and sends the formal licence with conditions.
Licensing Conditions and Ongoing Duties
Lewisham’s licence conditions set out a range of ongoing management responsibilities.
Key obligations commonly include:
- Keeping the property free from serious hazards and in good repair
- Ensuring adequate fire precautions, smoke alarms and escape routes
- Providing sufficient bathroom, kitchen and refuse storage facilities
- Managing anti‑social behaviour linked to the property
- Keeping accurate records and providing information to the council on request
Selective and HMO licence conditions may also specify particular requirements, such as annual Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) for certain properties or time limits for addressing reported defects. Licence holders must inform the council of significant changes, such as a change in licence holder, managing agent, or property layout.
Penalties for Non‑Compliance
Lewisham Council emphasises that operating an unlicensed property is a criminal offence where licensing is required.
Possible sanctions include:
- Unlimited fines on prosecution in the magistrates’ court
- Civil penalties of up to £30,000 per offence as an alternative to prosecution
- Rent Repayment Orders (RROs) requiring repayment of up to 12 months’ rent to tenants or housing benefit/universal credit to the council
- Entry on the national Rogue Landlord Database or local enforcement lists
- Potential banning orders preventing landlords from letting or managing property in the future
Lewisham Council communications in 2025 highlight that, since July 2024, “nearly all rental properties in the borough must have a licence”, signalling that the initial bedding‑in period is over and that proactive enforcement is a priority.
Practical Implications for Landlords
For private landlords in areas such as Catford, Lewisham Central, New Cross, Brockley, Forest Hill, Grove Park and Bellingham, licensing is now a standard cost of doing business rather than an optional extra. Licensing conditions interact with wider legal requirements such as gas safety, electrical safety, EPC standards and tenancy law, so compliance should be approached holistically rather than as a one‑off form.
Managing licensing in‑house requires tracking renewal dates (schemes run to at least 30 June 2029 for selective licensing), monitoring regulatory updates, and ensuring all certificates and management policies remain current.
By contrast, using a professional letting and management agent that understands Lewisham’s schemes can help landlords avoid missed deadlines, incomplete applications and breaches of licence conditions.
How a Property Management Agent Can Help
Specialist property management agents that operate in Lewisham typically support landlords by:
- Checking whether each property requires a selective or HMO licence
- Preparing and submitting licence applications and responding to council queries
- Organising required inspections, EICRs, gas safety checks and EPCs
- Implementing and documenting management procedures that meet licence conditions
- Monitoring renewal dates and regulatory changes over the life of the schemes
Agents also act as a buffer between landlords and the council, ensuring communication is handled professionally and that evidence of compliance is retained should enforcement action ever arise.
Conclusion
As of 2026, Lewisham is one of the London boroughs with the widest use of private rented property licensing, meaning that most single‑household lets and HMOs require a licence under either the selective or HMO schemes. The combination of fees, documentation requirements and potential civil penalties of up to £30,000 per offence means that failure to engage with licensing exposes landlords to significant financial and legal risk.
Landlords with properties in Catford, Lewisham Central, New Cross, Brockley and the other designated wards should treat licensing as a priority administrative task, checking each property against council criteria and ensuring applications are submitted promptly. Given the complexity and the interaction with wider safety and tenancy laws, many landlords will benefit from partnering with a managing agent that can integrate licensing into a broader compliance and management service, reducing risk while protecting long‑term returns