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Islington Council to introduce new landlord licensing scheme in November

Saturday, October 10th, 2026 - Islington Council

The first selective licensing scheme in Islington was introduced in May 2024 and covers the Finsbury Park, Hillrise, and Tollington council wards.

Islington Council’s second selective licensing scheme comes into force on 23 November 2026. It will extend licensing to thousands more private rented homes in seven council wards: Barnsbury, Caledonian, Tufnell Park, Mildmay, Highbury, Junction and Laycock. Licence applications should be submitted before the scheme starts.

Within these wards, a property licence is required for every private rented home let to a single family or two unrelated sharers. Each licence application should be submitted before the scheme starts.

HMO licensing

In addition to the two selective licensing schemes, licensing is also required in Islington for all houses in multiple occupation occupied by three or more people comprising two or more households.

The council’s latest additional HMO licensing scheme came into force on 1 February 2026 and continues for five years.

The council says these licensing schemes help tenants by ensuring privately rented homes are safe, well managed and properly maintained. Landlords must meet minimum standards on property safety, repairs, security, waste management and tenant information, giving residents greater protection, transparency and peace of mind.

Sayeh Yousefi, a private renter in Angel said:

“This seems like a great decision that will help ensure renters live in well and properly managed properties. Having standard requirements for landlords will make it easier for tenants to advocate for themselves when asking for repairs and maintenance.”

Cllr Jason Jackson, Islington Executive Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods, said:

“We believe that everyone deserves to have a home that is safe, well maintained and well managed.”

“Our aim is for homes in the private rented sector to be high quality, low carbon, affordable and environmentally friendly. We want our residents to have a good choice of quality homes in clean, safe and vibrant neighbourhoods and for landlords to be responsible and meet their obligations to their tenants.”

With civil financial penalties of up to £40,000 for not applying for the correct licence, independent housing consultancy London Property Licensing is warning all private landlords and managing agents to ensure their rented properties are compliant.

Our free guide containing information about property licensing and HMO planning rules in Islington is available here.