Consultation

Ealing Additional Licensing Consultation – 15 July to 24 September 2026

Wednesday, July 15th, 2026 - Ealing Council

Date: Wednesday 15 July to Thursday 24 September 2026

Ealing Council has launched a consultation on plans to renew their additional HMO licensing scheme.

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) need to be licensed if they are occupied by five or more people as they fall within the national mandatory HMO licensing scheme. 

In Ealing, HMOs occupied by 3 or 4 people also require a licence under the council’s additional licensing scheme that applies borough wide. This scheme ends on 31 March 2027. Ealing Council is proposing to implement a replacement borough wide additional licensing scheme that would extend licensing for these properties for another 5 years.

There are also two selective licensing schemes that cover properties occupied by a single household or two unrelated sharers in the East Acton, Southall Broadway, Southall Green, Acton Central, Dormers Wells, Greenford Broadway, Greenford Green, Hanger Hill, Hobbayne, Lady Margaret, North Greenford, Northolt Mandeville, Northolt West End, Perivale and South Acton council wards based on the pre May 2022 boundaries.

The council is consulting on plans to introduce a replacement additional HMO licensing scheme, as summarised below.

Before making a decision, the council wants to hear from tenants, landlords, managing agents, residents, business owners, community organisations and anyone else with an interest in the area.

Proposed additional licensing scheme 

The council says the proposed scheme would:

  • Require smaller HMOs occupied by three or four unrelated people to have a licence.
  • Introduce revised conditions relating to property management, waste, and anti-social behaviour.
  • Support a commitment to inspections of HMOs before licences are issued.
  • Include buildings converted into self-contained flats that do not meet relevant building control standards.
  • Increase awareness in tenants on the minimum standards they should expect in rented accommodation.
  • Increase awareness in landlords on their responsibilities, with discounts for accredited landlords.
  • Not change the current additional licensing fees.

The intention is that this new additional licensing scheme would replace the current scheme when it ends on 31 March 2027.

You can find more information about the business case for the new selective licensing scheme, and what the scheme entails, on the council’s website. 

Share your views

Once you have studied the proposals, you can complete the proposed property licensing scheme consultation questionnaire. To fill in the form, you will need to click on the link, scroll to the bottom of the page and click ‘Share your views’. 

If you have any queries or need to request a paper questionnaire or any other format, please contact Ealing Council on 020 8825 6622 or email propertyregulation@ealing.gov.uk. 

The consultation will run for 10 weeks and closes at 11.59pm on 24 September 2026.

Meanwhile, our free guide with more information about property licensing and HMO planning rules in the London Borough of Ealing is available here.