News

Greenwich Council stepping up housing enforcement activity

Monday, December 1st, 2025 - Greenwich Council

Greenwich Council have announced they are stepping up enforcement action against unlicensed private rented properties to improve housing quality, reduce anti-social behaviour and make the borough safer.

In the last 12 months, Greenwich Council say they have issued 70 civil penalty notices totalling over £167,000 to landlords and managing agents of properties that should have been licensed not were not.

The council are proactively investigating unlicensed properties via door knocking and letter drops and are advising landlords they need to action now to ensure their rented properties are correctly licensed.

Councillor Rachel Taggart-Ryan, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Enforcement said:

“It’s in every landlord’s best interest to obtain a licence that is appropriate for their property before enforcement action is taken – the conditions of the licence act as a guide for landlords, making them aware of good practice. If any tenant believes that the property that they live in is unlicensed, then it’s important they pass this concern onto their landlord to take action and to let us know.”

Greenwich Council currently operate three property licensing schemes:

Mandatory HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) licensing for larger properties which are rented to five or more people from two or more households
Additional HMO licensing for smaller properties rented to three or four people from two or more households sharing basic facilities such as a kitchen and bathroom.
Selective Licensing for any property let to one household or two unrelated sharers in the Charlton Village and Riverside, Woolwich Dockyard, Woolwich Common, Shooters Hill, Plumstead Common or Plumstead and Glyndon wards.

It’s a criminal offence to rent out a property without applying for the correct licence. Any landlord or managing agent doing so faces prosecution in the Magistrates Court or a civil financial penalty of up to £30,000 and may also have to repay the tenants up to 12 months rent.

Our free guide containing more information about property licensing and HMO planning restrictions in Greenwich is available here.