Wandsworth Additional & Selective Licensing Schemes start on 1 July 2025

Tuesday, July 1st, 2025 - Wandsworth Council

Date: Tuesday 1 July 2025

About: New additional and selective licensing schemes came into force in the London Borough of Wandsworth on 1 July 2025 and continue for five years. 

Additional licensing

Wandsworth’s new additional licensing scheme applies borough wide and extends licensing to most houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) that fall outside the remit of mandatory HMO licensing. This includes shared houses, shared flats and bedsit HMOs occupied by three or four people, plus all multi-occupied flats in purpose built blocks of flats.

The council have decided to exclude section 257 HMOs from the additional licensing scheme. 

Selective licensing

Wandsworth’s new selective licensing scheme extends licensing to all private rented accommodation occupied by a single household or two unrelated sharers in four council wards.

The four council wards covered by the new selective licensing designation are:

• Furzedown
• South Balham
• Tooting Bec
• Tooting Broadway

If you are unsure whether your property falls within the designated area, you can use the postcode search facility on the Council’s website.

Mandatory HMO licensing 

Most Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) occupied by five or more people are already covered by the mandatory HMO licensing scheme that extends borough wide.   

How can I apply?

You can submit additional and selective licence applications by visiting the council’s website.

To accompany your licence application, the council have told us you will need to supply the following documents:

• Gas Safety Certificate (if applicable),
• Electrical Installation Condition Report, and
• Floorplan

How much will additional and selective licence applications cost?

The additional licence application fee is £1,450 per property, payable in two instalments (Part A £870, Part B £580).

The selective licence application fee is £850 per property, payable in two instalments (Part A £510, Part B £340).

We understand there will be an early bird fee discount for all applications submitted by 1 January 2026. The discount will be 30% of the Part A fee.

Other discounts will also apply:

• Multiple dwelling discount – for multiple applications in the same building, the same ownership and made at the same time. The discount will be £100 off the Part A fee.

• Energy efficiency discount – a discount of £50 off the Part B fee if the property has a Band C rating and a discount of £100 off the Part B fee if the property has a Band A or B rating.

• Gold Standard discount – a discount of 40% off the Part B fee for landlords who meet the Council’s Gold Standard criteria. More information about the Council’s Gold Standard here.

• Accreditation discount – a discount of £100 off the Part B fee for landlords accredited through the LLAS, NRLA, UKALA, ARLA, RICS or safeagent. 

The Council will not offer these discounts if they have made two requests for additional supporting information or sent a warning letter for failure to license the property.

Looking for more information?

If you need more information, you can visit the council’s website or contact the council by email: privatehousing@merton.gov.uk.

Risks of non-compliance

Landlords and letting / managing agents that fail to comply with the new scheme risk prosecution in the Magistrates Court or a civil financial penalty of up to £30,000 per property. Other sanctions include Rent Repayment Orders, inability to issue a section 21 notice and an entry in the Mayor of London’s Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker. If is far better to submit the licence application promptly and design out these risks.

London Property Licensing has published a free guide with more detailed information about property licensing and HMO planning rules in the London Borough of Wandsworth, available here.