London Borough of Haringey

If you need help understanding the property licensing rules in Haringey 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 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 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 three property licensing schemes operating in Haringey. We will help you choose the right licence for your property:

1. Mandatory HMO licence

In Haringey you 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 Haringey 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 17 June 2024, 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. 

Haringey Council have included all ‘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.

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

3. Selective licence

In Haringey you need a selective licence if your property is occupied by a single household or two unrelated sharers in the council wards of Bounds Green, Bruce Castle, Harringay, Hermitage & Gardens, Noel Park, Northumberland Park, Seven Sisters, South Tottenham, St Ann’s, Tottenham Central, Tottenham Hale, West Green, White Hart Lane and Woodside.

The selective licensing scheme started on 17 November 2022 and continues for five years. You can view the public notice in the ‘At a Glance’ box on the top right of this page.

You can use the postcode checker on the council’s website to check if your property is within the selective licensing area.

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

How much does a licence cost?

Mandatory HMO and additional licence

Haringey Council charge an HMO licence application fee of £1,360 per property  which is payable in two instalments.

If the property has more than five units of accommodation, the council charge an extra £50 for each unit above five units. 

There is a £50 discount for accredited landlords and managing agents and a further £50 discount if the property has an EPC rating of A, B or C.

Selective licence

Haringey Council charge a selective licence application fee of £680 per property which is payable in two instalments.

There is a £50 discount for accredited landlords and managing agents and a further £50 discount if the property has an EPC rating of A, B or C. 

The fees we have listed were correct as of December 2025 but could be subject to change in the future. Mandatory HMO and additional licensing fees can be viewed here and selective licensing fees can be viewed here. 

How do I apply for a licence?

Haringey Council has an online licence application system for all mandatory HMO, additional and selective licence applications. You can apply by visiting the council’s website.

You can find companies offering a licence application handling service in our Landlord Suppliers Directory (here).

It is important to remember that submitting a licence application is only the start of the licence approval process. We have published a free guide to help landlords understand what happens next (here).

Are there any standards I need to comply with?

Haringey Council’s HMO guidance can be viewed on the council’s website. Once you have clicked on the link, you need to scroll down to the ‘HMO standards’ section.

The guidance covers a range of issues such as kitchen, bathroom and toilet facilities, fire precautions, heating, lighting, ventilation and room sizes.

The government have introduced absolute minimum bedroom sizes that apply to all 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 still ask for larger minimum sizes. These minimum sizes apply throughout England to HMOs licensed under a mandatory HMO or additional licensing scheme.

How many properties has the Council licensed?

In June 2022, Haringey Council told us they had licensed 1,006 HMOs under the mandatory HMO licensing scheme and 1,641 HMOs under the additional licensing scheme.

Haringey Council has a public register of licensed properties that can be viewed on the council’s website.

Are there lots of unlicensed properties still out there?

In May 2019, the council told us there are about 3,500 properties that need licensing under the mandatory HMO licensing scheme and 6,500 properties that need licensing under their additional licensing scheme.

Haringey Council expect to license a further 19,442 properties under their selective licensing scheme that started on 17 November 2022.

This suggests there could be many licensable but unlicensed properties in the borough.

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 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 641 accredited landlords in Haringey, which was the sixth highest out of all London boroughs.

January 2018: 894 accredited landlords
January 2019: 985 accredited landlords
January 2020: 1,099 accredited landlords
January 2021: 1,177 accredited landlords
January 2022: 1,385 accredited landlords
January 2023: 1,499 accredited landlords
January 2024: 1,660 accredited landlords

By January 2025 there were 1,734 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?

Haringey Council consulted on plans for a replacement additional licensing scheme from 27 November 2023 to 12 February 2024. You can find more information on the council’s website.

On 12 March 2024 a new additional licensing scheme was approved at the council’s Cabinet meeting (read here – agenda item 118) and the new scheme came into force on 17 June 2024.

For all the latest news, you can sign up to our free newsletter.

Do I need planning permission for my HMO?

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

For small HMOs, the rules are more complicated. HMOs occupied and shared by between three and six people fall into planning use class C4 whereas single-family properties fall into planning use class C3.

On 30 November 2012, Haringey Council made an HMO Article 4 Direction that removes the permitted development rights to change a property from a single-family house (use class C3) to an HMO occupied by up to six people (use class C4) without planning permission.

The HMO Article 4 Direction came into force on 30 November 2013 and applies to the old council wards of Bounds Green, Bruce Grove, Harringay, Northumberland Park, Noel Park, St Ann’s, Seven Sisters, Tottenham Green, Tottenham Hale, West Green, White Hart Lane and Woodside. From that date, letting your property to three or more people who are not all related is likely to require planning permission. You can find out more information on the council’s website. 

We have published some general advice on HMO Article 4 Directions 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 before you start a new HMO development. 

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.

How do I find out more?

You can contact the council at: 

Private Sector Housing Team
Haringey Council
Fourth Floor
Alexandra House
10 Station Road
Wood Green
London N22 7TR

Email: propertylicensing@haringey.gov.uk
Tel: 020 8489 3558
Website: www.haringey.gov.uk

Latest News

Consultations

There are currently no licensing consultations we are aware of in the London Borough of Haringey

Schemes

There are currently no new licensing schemes we are aware of that are being introduced in the London Borough of Haringey

Events

Opinion

At a Glance

Licence Overview

In Haringey, mandatory HMO and additional licensing schemes apply borough wide and a selective licensing scheme covers part of the borough.

More Information

Contacting the Council

Tel: 020 8489 3588
Email: propertylicensing@haringey.gov.uk
Weblink: Haringey property licensing