There are currently two licensing schemes operating in Greenwich. A third licensing scheme recently ended. 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:
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Shared houses and flats occupied by students and young professionals;
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Properties converted into bedsits with some shared facilities; and
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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
Greenwich Council's additional licensing scheme ended on 30 September 2022. The council are consulting on a replacement scheme from 13 January to 24 April 2023.
The previous scheme extended licensing to all HMOs in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, including all properties shared by three or more people who are not all related and share facilities. The council had also included ‘section 257 HMOs: certain converted blocks of flats’ in the scheme.
Licences granted under the old scheme remain in force until the expiry date on the licence.
To find out more, you can read our free guide to additional licensing (here).
3. Selective licence
Greenwich Council introduced a selective licensing scheme on 1 October 2022 and the scheme will continue for five years.
You can find a copy of the scheme designation in the orange ‘More Information’ box on the right side of this webpage.
You need a selective licence if your property (house or flat) is let out to a single household or two unrelated sharers and is in parts of Plumstead, Glyndon, Shooters Hill, Woolwich Common and Woolwich Riverside council wards. Now the additional licensing scheme has ended, some HMOs may also need licensing under this scheme.
There is an online search facility on the council’s website to check whether your property falls within the selective licensing area.
To find out more, you can read our free guide to selective licensing (here).