Council licensing · London
Licensing in Camden
Camden has additional HMO licensing across the whole council area.
Researched 14 October 2026 · Independently checked 14 October 2026
Check a specific address in Camden
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Licensing, ward by ward
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- Additional HMO licensing area20
Additional HMO licensing also covers the whole council area.
Current ONS ward boundaries. Exemptions apply. Use the postcode check and scheme details for your property.
- Selective licensing
- None
- Additional HMO licensing
- Yes, whole council area
- Article 4 on house shares
- None found
- Consultation
- None open
Licensing schemes
Additional HMO licence
In forceLondon Borough of Camden Council Designation for an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2025
- Area
The whole district of the London Borough of Camden.
- Runs
- 8 December 2025 to 7 December 2030
- Fee
£1,570 for 5 years
From 15 Jan 2026 (HMO licensing fees 2026/27), new and renewal fees are the same. s254 HMOs and s257 converted buildings: Part 1 £1,318 + Part 2 £252, totalling £1,570. Purpose-built student accommodation: £1,318 + £65, totalling £1,383. Accredited private landlords who own the property and are the proposed licence holder get £100 off Part 2; companies and managing agents do not qualify. A renewal must be made within the 30 days before expiry and cannot be made after expiry. Licences are generally 5 years but may be cut to 2 years with no fee reduction.
- Who needs one
- Two kinds of property, where not subject to mandatory licensing. (1) All s254 HMOs occupied by 3 or more people forming 2 or more households, including HMO flats in purpose-built blocks of 3 or more flats. (2) s257 HMOs (buildings converted into self-contained flats not meeting the 1991 Building Regulations) where less than half of the flats are owner-occupied.
- Exemptions
- Annex C / Schedule 14 buildings (not HMOs for licensing purposes), HMOs under interim or final management orders, HMOs with a temporary exemption notice (s62), and HMOs requiring a mandatory licence. Applications for properties with no tenants may be returned, because a property is not an HMO until occupied.
- Notes
- This is a renewal; the scheme started in Dec 2025. The designation was made on 2 Jul 2025 under the 2024 General Approval, after a consultation that closed in April 2025 with over 800 responses and 58% support. The Cabinet Member for Better Homes agreed it, with small changes to waste-management conditions and reduced-term licences. It directly replaced the Dec 2020 to Dec 2025 scheme, and Camden has run additional licensing since 2015. The public notice still quotes the pre-RRA £30,000 penalty cap and 12-month rent repayment orders. The sealed designation PDF is a scan and was not machine-readable, so dates were taken from the council's published notice, which says 'The designation shall cease to have effect on 08 December 2030 or earlier if the Council revokes the scheme'. 8 Dec 2030 is the fifth anniversary of the start, so end_date is 7 Dec 2030, the last day in force. Camden has no selective licensing scheme.
Mandatory HMO licence
In forceMandatory HMO licensing (Housing Act 2004 Part 2)
- Area
National scheme, applies across the whole borough.
- Fee
£1,570 for 5 years
The same 2026/27 fee table applies to mandatory and additional licences: £1,570 (£1,318 + £252), or £1,383 for purpose-built student accommodation. Accredited private landlords get £100 off Part 2.
- Who needs one
- Most properties occupied by 5 or more people forming 2 or more households, regardless of storeys.
- Exemptions
- HMO flats in purpose-built blocks of 3 or more flats are exempt from mandatory licensing, but in Camden they still need an additional licence.
- Notes
- Included because the council publishes its own fee schedule covering mandatory licences.
Additional HMO licence
EndedCamden additional HMO licensing designation 2020-2025 (previous scheme)
- Area
The whole borough.
- Runs
- 8 December 2020 to 7 December 2025
- Fee
Not yet confirmed
Superseded. Fees for the old scheme were not recorded.
- Who needs one
- Borough-wide additional licensing of HMOs not covered by mandatory licensing. The exact scope of the 2020 designation, including its s257 criteria, was not re-verified.
- Notes
- Included because it ended less than 12 months ago. The 2025 designation took over the same borough-wide coverage with no gap. The council's review (Oct 2024) says the scheme was implemented on 8 Dec 2020 'for a period of five years' and was 'due to expire on 8 December 2025'. Five years from 8 Dec 2020 ends on 7 Dec 2025, and the 2025 designation came into force on 8 Dec 2025, so end_date is 7 Dec 2025, the last day in force. Licences issued under it remain valid until they expire. Renewal applications are only accepted before the existing licence expires.
Article 4 for house shares
We found no Article 4 direction on house shares in Camden.
Civil penalty policy
The council's policy sets how it decides the size of a fine. The version we found has been updated for the Renters' Rights Act.
The policy is titled 'Policy - Civil penalties under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and other housing legislation'. It was first issued on 8 Dec 2025, separated from the main enforcement policy, and updated on 30 Sep 2026 for the RRA penalties and maximums. The maximum is £40,000 for offences and £7,000 for lower-tier breaches. The matrix uses MHCLG statutory-guidance starting points: failure to obtain a selective licence £12,000 (£9,600 to £14,400 after the Landlord Type adjustment); failure to obtain an HMO licence £17,000 (£13,600 to £20,400). The Landlord Type adjustment is +20% (6+ properties ever, 3+ HMOs, corporate landlord or director, or significant experience) or -20% (2 or fewer properties, at most 1 HMO and very limited experience). Aggravating and mitigating factors are each capped at +/-20%, followed by financial considerations and totality. Starting points for HMO licence-condition breaches are grouped in Appendix 2. There is a 15% prompt-payment discount if the penalty is paid within the final-notice period (normally 28 days) and no appeal is lodged.
Consultations
Not yet confirmed
These points were unresolved when we researched Camden on 14 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.
- Not yet confirmed
The exact consultation close date for the 2025 renewal is not confirmed from a council page; the council says only that it 'closed in April'. Third-party reports say 8 Apr 2025.
- Not yet confirmed
The 2020 designation itself was not read. Its end date is recorded as 7 Dec 2025 from the council review's wording ('for a period of five years' from 8 Dec 2020, 'due to expire on 8 December 2025') and the new designation's 8 Dec 2025 start.
- Not yet confirmed
No HMO Article 4 direction is listed on Camden's Article 4 pages; the listed directions cover heritage, Class E to C3, launderettes, demolition and basements. Absence was inferred from those pages, and planning policy may still control HMO conversions.
- Not yet confirmed
The decision record (democracy.camden.gov.uk ID 4785) returned a Cloudflare 504 and was not read.
- Not yet confirmed
No selective licensing scheme or proposal was found for Camden in 2025-2026.
- Not yet confirmed
Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): www.camden.gov.uk blocks automated access, so archived copies were used. The 2026-2027 fees PDF could not be read; the £1,318 + £252 = £1,570 split and £100 accredited discount match Camden's proposed 2025 fees, but their 2026/27 status and the 15 Jan 2026 effective date are unconfirmed.
- Not yet confirmed
Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): the civil penalty policy PDF ('sep-26') could not be read. Indexed copies give its RRA update date as 17 Sep 2026 or 30 Sep 2026, and the statement that the 15% prompt-payment discount needs 'no appeal is lodged' should be checked against Camden's own text (the model wording used by other boroughs keeps the discount for an appellant who pays in full on time).
- Not yet confirmed
Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): the sealed designation PDF and the licence conditions PDF could not be fetched directly (the conditions PDF was seen only in a 30 Mar 2026 archived copy).
Landlord register
Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Camden is in London, where the planned registration window runs from 15 July 2027 to 14 October 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Register dates, fee and documents