London Borough of Camden
If you need help understanding the property licensing rules in Camden you have come to the right place! We are experts in housing regulation and have produced this free guide to help you understand the council’s property licensing schemes.
If you find that you need a licence for your rented property our support doesn’t end there. Our Landlord Suppliers Directory (view here) lists companies that offer a licence application handling service. You can also find companies offering a wide range of other goods and services to help you manage your property portfolio and achieve compliance.
Licensing Requirements
There are currently two licensing schemes operating in Camden. We will help you choose the right licence for your property:
1. Mandatory HMO licence
You will need a mandatory HMO licence if your property meets the standard test, self-contained flat test or converted building test HMO definition in section 254 of the Housing Act 2004 and is occupied by five or more people.
But what are these tests and what does this mean in practice? It means you need a licence for any house or flat that is occupied by five or more people who are not all related and live in the property as their main home. For example, it includes:
- Shared houses and flats occupied by students and young professionals;
- Properties converted into bedsits with some shared facilities; and
- Properties converted into a mixture of self-contained and non self-contained accommodation.
Prior to 1 October 2018, the mandatory HMO licensing scheme only applied to properties that were three or more storeys in height, but that restriction has now been lifted.
The government have decided to exclude purpose built self-contained flats within a block comprising three or more self-contained flats from the mandatory HMO licensing scheme. While this will be good news for some landlords, it does make the licensing scheme far more complicated.
To find out more, you can read our free guide to mandatory HMO licensing (here).
2. Additional licence
The additional licensing scheme came into force on 8 December 2020 and continues for five years.
The scheme applies to all HMOs in the London Borough of Camden, so that includes all properties shared by three or more people who are not all related and share facilities. You can view the public notice in the ‘More Information’ box on the right of this webpage.
The council have included ‘section 257 HMOs: certain converted blocks of flats’ in the scheme. These are properties that:
- have been converted into self-contained flats; and
- less than two thirds of the flats are owner occupied; and
- the conversion did not comply with the relevant Building Regulations in force at that time and still does not comply.
The council have simplified things slightly by restricting the licensing of section 257 HMOs to situations where less than half of the flats are owner occupied. This is a complex area of law and you may need further advice.
To find out more, you can read our free guide to additional licensing (here).
There is a flat rate fee of £1,392 (was £1,300 in 2022/23, £750 in 2019/20, £545 in 2018/19, £495 in 2017/18, £450 in 2016/17) for the HMO (house of flat).
There is a lower fee of £1,210 for licence renewals, provided the application is submitted before the current licence ends.
There is a £100 discount for accredited landlords, so it is worth joining a recognised accreditation scheme.
The fees were last checked in June 2023 but could be subject to change in the future. You can view the fees in full on the council’s website.
Camden Council have an online application and payment system. You can apply by visiting the council’s website where you will also find some useful guidance.
We offer a licence application handling service in Camden and you can find further information here. Simply complete the online enquiry form to get the process underway.
You can find other companies offering a licence application handling service in our Landlord Suppliers Directory (here).
It is important to remember that submitting a licence application is only the start of the licence approval process. To help landlords understand what happens next, we have published a free guide here.
Yes, Camden Council has adopted HMO standards which all licensed HMOs must comply with and you can download a copy of their HMO standards here.
The standards cover a range of issues such as kitchen, bathroom and toilet facilities, fire precautions, heating, lighting, ventilation and room sizes.
It is important to note that new absolute minimum bedroom sizes for licensed HMOs have been introduced for HMO licence applications approved on or after 1 October 2018:
- 4.64m2 for a child under 10 years old
- 6.51m2 for one person over 10 years old
- 10.22m2 for two people over 10 years old
The council can still ask for larger minimum sizes. These new minimum sizes will apply throughout England to HMOs licensed under a mandatory HMO or additional licensing scheme.
In February 2015, Camden Council told us they had licensed 290 HMOs under the mandatory HMO licensing scheme.
In September 2016, that number had dropped slightly to 284, but another 300 properties had been licensed under the additional licensing scheme and 623 were being processed.
In May 2017, the council said that almost 2,000 properties had been licensed or the licence applications were being processed.
In July 2018, the public register showed there were 2,247 licensed HMOs.
In May 2019, the council told us 341 properties had been licensed under the mandatory HMO licensing scheme and 2,620 properties had been licensed under the additional licensing scheme.
In February 2022, the public register listed 458 properties licensed under the mandatory HMO licensing scheme and 3,982 properties licensed under the additional licensing scheme.
In May 2023, the public register listed 482 properties licensed under the mandatory HMO licensing scheme and 3,865 properties licensed under the additional licensing scheme.
Every council must have a public register of licensed HMOs and you can view Camden Council’s register on the council’s website.
In May 2019, Camden Council told us they think about 400 properties need licensing under the mandatory HMO licensing scheme, although the number of licenced HMOs is now higher.
In relation to their additional licensing scheme, the council has estimated there are 7,600 HMOs that need to be licensed.
It seems there are sill thousands of rented properties in Camden that are being operated illegally without a licence. We would strongly encourage any landlords of licensable HMOs to apply now to avoid facing the consequences of non-compliance.
Ignore the law and you could pay a heavy price. You risk being prosecuted by the council and if found guilty you could get a criminal record, be fined an unlimited amount and ordered to pay court costs and a victim surcharge.
Alternatively, the council can issue you with a civil penalty notice of up to £30,000 for not having the correct licence without any warning being given, so this is really serious stuff.
You could also be subject to a Rent Repayment Order and may have to repay up to 12 months rental income.
Whilst the property is unlicensed, you can’t use a Notice of Seeking Possession under Section 21 Housing Act 1988 to evict your tenants.
And following a successful prosecution, you would probably fail a fit and proper person assessment, making it very difficult for you to obtain a property licence in the future.
Don’t put your livelihood and reputation at risk. Make sure you comply with the law.
In London, most boroughs publish information about housing prosecutions and civil financial penalties on the Mayor of London’s ‘Rogue landlord and agent checker’. You can search the database by entering a property address, landlord / agent name or by selecting the relevant borough, available here.
There are landlord accreditation schemes operated by the London Landlord Accreditation Scheme, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) and other organisations.
Whilst we don’t have any figures for the NRLA scheme, we have got information about the London Landlord Accreditation Scheme that is supported by all the London Boroughs. In January 2016, they told us there were 751 accredited landlords in Camden, which was the 3rd highest out of all London boroughs.
January 2018: 996 accredited landlords
January 2019: 1,118 accredited landlords
January 2020: 1,282 accredited landlords
January 2021: 1,385 accredited landlords
January 2022: 1,693 accredited landlords
By January 2023 there were 2,016 accredited landlords, which is the fourth highest when compared to all the London boroughs. To find out more about becoming accredited, you can visit the London Landlord Accreditation Scheme website here.
In addition to training and development, accredited landlords are entitled to various benefits, including discounted licensing fees in some boroughs. If you are not already a member, we would encourage you to think about joining!
Camden Council consulted on plans for a replacement additional licensing scheme from 16 December 2019 to 8 March 2020 and you can find out more information here.
On 1 July 2020, a replacement additional licensing scheme was approved by the council’s Cabinet and it came into force on 8 December 2020 (read here – agenda item 11).
If Camden Council intend to renew the additional licensing scheme before it expires in March 2025, they will need to consult on plans for a new scheme. We will monitor what’s happening and keep you posted. You can sign up to our free newsletter for all the latest news.
You will need planning permission if you are changing your property from a single-family property to a house in multiple occupation (HMO) occupied by more than six people. HMOs occupied by more than six people fall within ‘sui-generis’ use for which planning permission is required. You will also need planning permission if you a splitting up a property into smaller self-contained units of accommodation.
For small HMOs, the rules are a bit more complicated. HMOs occupied and shared by between three and six people fall into planning use class C4 whereas single-family properties fall into planning use class C3.
In September 2016, we checked with Camden Council and found that there is currently no HMO Article 4 Direction in force, although it is something they are thinking about.
This means that you do not need planning permission for a change of use from a single-family property (use class C3) to a small HMO shared by three to six unrelated residents (use class C4), although the situation could change in the future.
Remember that this is only intended as general advice and no liability can be accepted for any reliance upon information provided. We would strongly encourage you to contact the Council’s Planning Department or seek independent legal advice before you start a new HMO development.
More information about Article 4 Directions can be found on the council’s website.
We certainly can. We understand the challenges of being a private landlord and so we have developed a Landlord Suppliers Directory to provide you with access to the goods and services you need. The Directory concentrates on businesses that operate in the London area.
Whether you a looking for a letting agent, want a property inventory for a new tenancy or fire risk assessment, we have got it covered – and far more besides!
As the leading experts in property licensing, we also offer a range of services ourselves. From handling the licence application process to advice on new HMO developments, we can help to ensure your property business remains compliant. If you need assistance, please drop us a line and see if we can help!
New suppliers are regularly being added and we would encourage you to take a look. Some of our featured listings also contain YouTube videos, helping you to find out more about the business.
You can contact the council at:
Private Sector Housing Team
Camden Council
8th Floor, 5 Pancras Square
Town Hall
Judd Street
London WC1H 9JE
Email: hmolicensing@camden.gov.uk
Tel: 020 7974 5969
Website: www.camden.gov.uk
Latest News
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Unlicensed HMO with no working fire alarm leads to substantial fine for Camden landlord and agent
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Four Camden landlords issued with five year banning order
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Camden property agents banned from operating in the private rented sector
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New additional licensing scheme starts in Camden on 8 December 2020
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Property agents fined over £100k for letting unsafe home in King’s Cross
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Four year banning order made against rent to rent landlord who let out unsafe accommodation in Camden
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Landlords who rented out illegal micro flats in West Hampstead ordered to repay £114,280 housing benefit
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Renting out illegal micro flats in an unlicensed West Hampstead HMO results in fines totalling £130,000
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Substantial fine for Camden lettings company that tried to evade their HMO licensing responsibilities
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Letting agent fined £30,000 for unlicensed ‘rent to rent’ HMOs in Camden
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Camden landlord ordered to pay back housing benefit on unlicensed HMO
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Council seeks views on licensing scheme from Camden landlords, agents and tenants
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Letting agent who rented out a room in breach of HMO licence conditions faces hefty fine
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Camden Council leading the way in tackling criminal landlords
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Camden letting agents prosecuted for managing unlicensed HMOs
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South Hampstead landlord prosecuted for operating badly managed and unlicensed HMO
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Breach of HMO licence conditions results in £40,000 fine for Camden landlord
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Camden appeal decision clarifies rules on letting agency fees
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Camden Council issue property management company with £40,000 civil penalty for operating an unlicensed HMO
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Immediate action being taken to remove external cladding from five Chalcots Estate tower blocks in Camden
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Two thirds of Camden HMOs remain unlicensed almost 18 months after licensing scheme started
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Landlord of unlicensed HMO in Camden to repay over £70,000 in housing benefit
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Camden Councillor prosecuted for housing offences
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Camden HMO landlords warned as new licensing scheme comes into force
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Camden additional licensing scheme expected to cover 8,000 HMOs
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Camden Council’s HMO licensing consultation closes 5 May 2015
Consultations
There are currently no consultations for the London Borough of Camden
Schemes
There are currently no schemes for the London Borough of Camden