News

Selective licensing consultation underway in Enfield

Friday, November 7th, 2025 - Enfield Council

Enfield Council is seeking views on a proposed new selective landlord licensing scheme.

The council believes the proposed scheme will benefit residents, tenants, landlords and the wider community by helping to address poor housing standards and ensure private renters are living in safe, well-maintained, and compliant homes.

The council say that licensing helps to ensure landlords are effectively managing their properties to reduce adverse impact on local communities. A new licensing scheme would also provide clearer guidance for landlords on their responsibilities.

The council is proposing to introduce a new selective licensing scheme in September 2026 for up to five years. It would cover 17 council wards, whereas the current scheme covers 14 council wards.

Before a decision is made, the council want to hear views about the proposal and any alternatives that should be considered. The 12-week consultation is seeking feedback from private tenants, residents, landlords, letting and managing agents, businesses operating in Enfield, community groups, and landlord organisations.

An independent agency, MEL Research, is running the consultation on the council’s behalf and will report on the results from completed questionnaires, written responses, and consultation meetings.

Three online consultation meetings will be held to provide further information and to collect views on:

Wednesday 5 November from 5pm to 6.30pm.
Thursday 13 November from 6pm to 7.30pm
Wednesday 19 November from 4pm to 5.30pm.

You can request a space at one of the meetings here.

Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory Services at Enfield Council, Cllr Susan Erbil, said:

“The current selective licensing scheme is due to end in August next year, so it is important the Council holds a public consultation to hear from a wide range of people as possible.

“We would like to hear the views of all residents, businesses, and landlords, so I would urge you to provide your views and feedback by completing our 20-minute questionnaire.

“Your views will enable us to continue to maintain and improve housing standards, and management of properties that are privately rented to single-family households.”

You can find out more about the consultation and complete the consultation questionnaire here.

The consultation closes on Sunday 28 December 2025 at 11.59pm.

The results will be published in a detailed report that will clearly show the outcome of the consultation. A decision on the proposal will be made by Cabinet in a public meeting at Enfield Civic Centre in Spring 2026.

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