London Borough of Barnet

If you need help understanding the property licensing rules in Barnet 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

Do I need a licence to rent out my property?

There are two licensing schemes operating in Barnet. 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.

The government have excluded 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 more complicated.

Read our free guide to mandatory HMO licensing to find out more (here).

2. Additional licence

In Barnet you need an additional licence if your property is let as a House in Multiple Occupation that falls outside the remit of mandatory HMO licensing. It includes properties shared by three or four people who are not all related and share facilities.

The additional licensing scheme started on 27 October 2022, continues for five years and applies borough wide. You can view the public notice in the ‘At a Glance’ box on the top right of this page.

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 the building is three or more storeys in height, comprises at least three flats, all the flats are privately rented and both the building and the self-contained flats it contains are under the same ownership or considered by the council to be effectively under the same control.

Read our free guide to additional licensing to find out more (here).

How much does a licence cost?

Mandatory HMO and additional licence

Barnet Council charge an HMO licence application fee of £1,560.38 plus £31 for each unit of accommodation above five. The fee is payable in two instalments.

The fee is lower if the council issue a one year licence. There are also lower fees for licence renewals.

The council offer a 10% discount off the first fee instalment for accredited landlords and registered charities.

The fees we have listed were correct as of August 2025 but could be subject to change in the future. You can view the fees in full on the council’s website.

How do I apply for a licence?

Barnet Council have launched an online licence application system and you can apply by visiting the council’s website.

If you need assistance with your licence application, you can find companies offering a licence application handling service in our Landlord Suppliers Directory (here). We also handle some applications, although we specialise in more complex cases where we provide our clients with expert advice and assistance.

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.

Are there any standards I need to comply with?

Barnet Council have published guidance that applies to all licensed HMOs. You can view a copy on the council’s website.

The guidance covers 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 absolute minimum bedroom sizes apply to licensed HMOs:

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 ask for larger minimum sizes. These new minimum sizes apply throughout England to HMOs licensed under a mandatory HMO or additional licensing scheme.

How many properties has the Council licensed?

In August 2025, Barnet Council’s public register listed 1,330 HMOs licensed under the mandatory HMO and additional licensing scheme. You can view the public register of licensed HMOs on the council’s website.

Are there lots of unlicensed properties still out there?

In May 2019, Barnet Council told us there were 635 properties that need licensing under the mandatory HMO licensing scheme and 3,836 properties that needed licensing under the old additional licensing scheme. It is not known how many HMOs require licensing under the new additional licensing scheme that started in October 2022.

If you are the landlord of a licensable HMO, you should apply now to avoid the consequences of non-compliance.

What happens if I don’t get a licence?

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.

Does the Council take much housing enforcement action?

In London, most boroughs publish information about housing prosecutions and civil financial pIn 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.

How many accredited landlords are there?

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 580 accredited landlords in Barnet, which was above average when compared to all the London boroughs.

January 2018: 788 accredited landlords
January 2019: 989 accredited landlords
January 2020: 1,092 accredited landlords
January 2021: 1,196 accredited landlords
January 2022: 1,416 accredited landlords
January 2023: 1,546 accredited landlords
January 2024: 1,8971 accredited landlords

By January 2025, there were 2,051 accredited landlords which is above average 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!

Is the Council planning to introduce any new licensing schemes?

Barnet Council consulted on proposed new additional and selective licensing schemes from 5 August to 5 November 2021 and you can read more on the council’s website.

On 26 July 2022, the council made a borough wide additional licensing designation which came into force on 27 October 2022.

Barnet Council said they would also implement a selective licensing scheme covering the council wards of Colindale North, Colindale South and Burnt Oak, but nothing happened.

From 22 February to 22 July 2023 Barnet Council undertake a second selective licensing consultation (read here). At a Cabinet meeting on 12 December 2023, the council approved plans for a second selective licensing scheme covering ten wards (read here – agenda item 22).

The situation has all become rather confusing. Barnet Council have approved two selective licensing schemes in principle but neither scheme has been implemented in practice.

In August 2025, London Property Licensing was told a selective licensing scheme might be implemented soon. Whether that is the first scheme, the second scheme or a combination of the two is unknown. It is also unclear whether a selective licensing scheme can be implemented based on a public consultation undertaken four years earlier, as the evidence base would be rather dated.

With so much happening in Barnet we will monitor the situation closely. You can sign up to our free newsletter for all the latest news.

Do I need planning permission for my HMO?

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 also need planning permission if you a splitting up a property into smaller self-contained units of accommodation.

For smaller HMOs, the rules are more complicated. HMOs occupied by up to six people fall into planning use class C4 whereas single-family properties fall into planning use class C3.

On 28 May 2015, Barnet Council made a borough-wide HMO Article 4 Direction that removes the permitted development rights to change a property from use class C3 to use class C4 without planning permission. The Article 4 Direction came into force on 29 May 2016 and you can view a copy in the ‘At a Glance’ box on the top right of this page.

The effect of the Article 4 Direction is to require planning permission to change the use from a single-family property (C3) to an HMO with up to six occupants (class C4). So even letting your property to three people who are not all related could require planning permission. More information is available on the council’s website.

We have prepared some general advice on HMO Article 4 Directions that you may find useful, available here.

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.

Can you help me find the goods and services I need?

We understand the challenges of being a private landlord and have created a Landlord Suppliers Directory to help you find 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, need a fire risk assessment or an EPC, 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 representation at First-tier Tribunal appeals, we help to ensure your property business remains compliant. If you need assistance, please drop us a line.