Hackney landlord licensing consultation underway

Monday, July 7th, 2025 - Hackney Council

Owners of privately rented homes in Hackney could soon require a licence to let out their property under new proposals published by Hackney Council.

According to the council, private rented homes make up nearly a third of residential properties in Hackney and play a valuable role in providing housing for residents of the borough. The council acknowledge that many landlords provide well-maintained, responsibly managed homes and the private rented sector provides important housing choice for local people.

However, a recent independent review of Hackney’s private rented sector found that a 17% of privately rented homes might contain serious hazards based on statistical modelling. This is above the national average of 10%. The statistical modelling also indicates around 30% of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in the borough could be hazardous.

Having reviewed all the data, Hackney Council want to license all HMOs borough wide. This would include all properties occupied by three or more people in two or more households where the occupants share toilet, washing and/or cooking facilities. 

Under the proposals, a selective licensing scheme could also be introduced for all private rented homes in 17 of the 21 wards in Hackney. The wards have been selected because of high proportions of private rented properties and high levels of poor housing conditions. 

Subject to the proposals being approval, most private landlords will need a five-year licence for each property they rent out in Hackney and licence conditions will impose a set of minimum requirements about how properties are managed. 

The proposed licence application fees are £925 for a single family home and £1,400 for an HMO. This would be a significant increase since the previous licensing schemes ended in September 2023. 

The council say the licensing schemes would be cost neutral, with licence application fees covering running costs and the cost of inspecting and monitoring the condition of homes in the borough.

The council say they intent to offer guidance and support to all landlords in the borough, but warn of unlimited fines if their inspections fine substandard conditions.

Caroline Woodley, Hackney’s Mayor of Hackney, said: 

“We’ve long campaigned for changes to the private rented sector, including a ban on section 21 no fault evictions. 

“We know most landlords do the right thing but some of the conditions private tenants face are unacceptable and potentially dangerous. That is why we take strong enforcement action where we can, and why we’re proposing to introduce this new licensing scheme, which would allow us to regulate the majority of private rented homes in the borough and build a network of responsible landlords.

“These proposals need to work for both landlords and tenants so we’d urge them to have their say in the consultation.”

The consultation is open until Sunday 21 September 2025 and more information can be found on the council’s website.

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

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