Licensing in Enfield

• Selective licence

  In force

  London Borough of Enfield Designation for Areas for Selective Licensing 2026

  Area

  17 wards in two designations. Designation One (13 wards): Bowes, Brimsdown, Bullsmoor, Carterhatch, Edmonton Green, Enfield Lock, Haselbury, Jubilee, Lower Edmonton, Ponders End, Southbury, Upper Edmonton, Whitewebbs. Designation Two (4 wards): New Southgate, Palmers Green, Southgate, Town.

  17 wards, as named in the designation (2022 wards (inferred: Bullsmoor, Carterhatch, Whitewebbs and Town exist only in the post-May-2022 ward pattern; the designation does not state a boundary date)):

  • Bowes
  • Brimsdown
  • Bullsmoor
  • Carterhatch
  • Edmonton Green
  • Enfield Lock
  • Haselbury
  • Jubilee
  • Lower Edmonton
  • Ponders End
  • Southbury
  • Upper Edmonton
  • Whitewebbs
  • New Southgate
  • Palmers Green
  • Southgate
  • Town

  Runs

  1 September 2026 to 31 August 2031

  Fee

  £750 for 5 years

  Part 1 £450 on application (non-refundable), Part 2 £300 when the draft licence is issued. Discounts off Part 2: accredited landlord (LLAS, NRLA, UKALA, BLA) or member of ARLA Propertymark or Safeagent £50 (agents who are not the licence holder do not qualify); EPC C or above £100. Multi-dwelling: Part 1 reduced by £100 for each additional flat after the first in the same building under the same owner and manager. Discounts not given after 2 requests for documents or after a warning letter. No page-updated date shown.

  Who needs one

  Privately rented homes in the 17 wards occupied by 1 or 2 persons or by a single family household, unless licensed under the mandatory or additional HMO schemes.

  Exemptions

  Mandatory HMOs; HMOs licensable under the borough-wide additional designation; tenancies granted by a registered social landlord; Interim/Final Management Orders; temporary exemption notices (s86); tenancies exempt under the Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006.

  Notes

  Approved by Cabinet on 22 April 2026 under the December 2024 general approval (no Secretary of State confirmation). Replaces the 2021 14-ward scheme, which ended in August 2026. The new area adds Brimsdown, Bullsmoor, Carterhatch, Whitewebbs, New Southgate, Southgate and Town on 2022 boundaries. Existing selective licences stay valid until their expiry date; the council says to renew about 2 months before expiry if the property is in the new area. The designation notice says civil penalties rose to £40,000 from 1 May 2026. The licence conditions PDF linked from the council page has an old asset id and may relate to the 2021 scheme.

  Apply on the council siteLicence conditionsDesignation or map

  Sources

  • enfield.gov.uk: selective licensing scheme
  • enfield.gov.uk: private rented property licensing
  • enfield.gov.uk: Selective licensing scheme designation Housing (PDF)
  • enfield.gov.uk: proposed selective licensing scheme covering private rented properties in the borough

• Additional HMO licence

  In force

  The London Borough of Enfield Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2025

  Area

  Entire London Borough of Enfield.

  Runs

  1 September 2025 to 31 August 2030

  Fee

  £1,450

  Part 1 £800 on application (non-refundable), Part 2 £650 when the draft licence is issued. From 1 September 2025: accredited landlord discount £50 and EPC C or above discount £100 off Part 2 (maximum £150).

  Who needs one

  HMOs occupied by 3 or more persons from 2 or more households sharing amenities that are not mandatory HMOs (council page: 3 or 4 people forming more than 1 household).

  Exemptions

  Mandatory HMOs; Interim/Final Management Orders; temporary exemption notices (s62); Schedule 14 buildings; s257 converted blocks are excluded (Annex B).

  Notes

  Designation made 12 March 2025 under the December 2024 general approval. Renews the borough-wide additional scheme that ran from 1 September 2020 and ended in August 2025. The 2026 selective designation refers to this as the 'Additional Licensing of Houses of Multiple Occupation 2020 made on 12 March 2025', a naming slip in that notice. HMOs without planning consent (borough-wide Article 4) are usually given a reduced-term licence of about 2 years.

  Apply on the council siteDesignation or map

  Sources

  • enfield.gov.uk: houses in multiple occupation
  • enfield.gov.uk: private rented property licensing
  • enfield.gov.uk: Public notice additional licensing Housing (PDF)

• Mandatory HMO licence

  In force

  Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Enfield fees)

  Area

  Entire borough (national scheme).

  Fee

  £1,616

  £1,616 for up to 5 lettable rooms (Part 1 £889, Part 2 £727), plus £181.50 per extra lettable room: 6 rooms £1,797.50; 7 £1,979; 8 £2,160.50; 9 £2,342; 10 £2,523.50. Over 10 rooms: ask the council. The same accreditation and EPC discounts apply to Part 2.

  Who needs one

  HMOs occupied by 5 or more people forming more than 1 household sharing amenities, including purpose-built flats occupied by 5 or more.

  Apply on the council site

  Sources

  • enfield.gov.uk: houses in multiple occupation

• Selective licence

  Ended

  London Borough of Enfield Designations for Areas for Selective Licensing 2021

  Area

  14 pre-2022 wards in two designations, defined by the boundaries in place when the designation was made on 18 May 2021. Designation One (13 wards): Bowes, Edmonton Green, Enfield Highway, Enfield Lock, Haselbury, Jubilee, Lower Edmonton, Palmers Green, Ponders End, Southbury, Southgate Green, Turkey Street, Upper Edmonton. Designation Two: Chase.

  14 wards, as named in the designation (pre-2022 wards (boundaries as at 18 May 2021; the council said the May 2022 ward changes did not alter the designated area)):

  • Bowes
  • Edmonton Green
  • Enfield Highway
  • Enfield Lock
  • Haselbury
  • Jubilee
  • Lower Edmonton
  • Palmers Green
  • Ponders End
  • Southbury
  • Southgate Green
  • Turkey Street
  • Upper Edmonton
  • Chase

  Runs

  1 September 2021 to 31 August 2026

  Fee

  £735 for 5 years

  Last fee shown on the council page (archived 13 Dec 2025): £735 = Part 1 £294 + Part 2 £441. At launch in 2021 the council quoted £600 for a five-year licence.

  Who needs one

  Privately rented homes let to 1 or 2 persons or one family household in the 14 pre-2022 wards.

  Exemptions

  Mandatory HMOs; HMOs licensable under the 2020 additional designation; registered social landlord tenancies; Interim/Final Management Orders; temporary exemptions (s86); tenancies exempt under SI 2006/370.

  Notes

  Included because it ended within the last 12 months. Made 18 May 2021 and confirmed by the Secretary of State the same day; in force 1 September 2021; ceased 31 August 2026 (designation notice, retrieved from the Internet Archive because the council's copy now returns 404). Replaced by the 2026 designation from 1 September 2026. Licences issued under it stay valid until their own expiry dates. The 2021 designation used pre-2022 boundaries and the 2026 one uses current ward names, so the two areas do not map one-to-one. Check each address against the 2026 map rather than the old ward list.

  Designation or map

  Sources

  • web.archive.org: Selective licensing public notice Housing (PDF)
  • web.archive.org: selective licensing scheme
  • enfield.gov.uk: property licensing scheme goes live2
  • enfield.gov.uk: Selective Licensing Consultation Evidence Pack (PDF)

Council source

Enfield's civil penalty policy

• Proposed Selective Licensing scheme covering private rented properties in the borough (17 wards)Approved

  Closed 28 December 2025

These points were unresolved when we researched Enfield on 14 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

• Not yet confirmed

  Article 4: the October 2013 committee report says the borough-wide direction would come into force on 23 October 2013 'if confirmed'. The council's HMO page says a borough-wide Article 4 is in place, but no confirmation notice was fetched. The independent check (2026-10-14) also could not confirm the 23 October 2013 commencement.

• Not yet confirmed

  No adoption date was found for the RRA-updated civil penalty policy, and the PDF carries no version date in the extracted text.

• Not yet confirmed

  Licence length for additional and mandatory HMO licences is not stated on the HMO page; the selective page says usually 5 years.

• Not yet confirmed

  The selective licence conditions PDF linked from the council page may be the 2021 version rather than the 2026 conditions approved by Cabinet. The conditions PDF could not be fetched in the independent check (2026-10-14) either.

• Not yet confirmed

  Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): www.enfield.gov.uk blocks automated access, so archived copies were used. The 2026 selective fee was confirmed in the 22 Apr 2026 Cabinet report but not on the live page, and any later revision of the 2026 designation PDF was not checked.

• Not yet confirmed

  Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): the civil penalty policy PDF could not be fetched; only its Renters' Rights Act title and £40,000 maximum were confirmed, from search extracts.

Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Enfield 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