Licensing in Greenwich

• Selective licence

  In forceMedium confidence

  Royal Borough of Greenwich Designation of an Area for Selective Licensing 2022

  Area

  The designation applies to 'the five Council ward areas of Parts of Plumstead, Glyndon, Shooters Hill, Woolwich Common and Woolwich Riverside as delineated and edged red on the map at Annex A'. The area is map-defined and may cover only parts of these pre-2022 wards. The council's web page describes it as Woolwich Riverside, Woolwich Common, Shooters Hill, Plumstead Common and Plumstead Glyndon wards. The 2026 consultation describes it as parts of six current wards: Plumstead and Glyndon, Plumstead Common, Shooters Hill, Woolwich Arsenal, Woolwich Common and Woolwich Dockyard. Use the council's address lookup or the Annex A map, not ward names.

  Runs

  1 October 2022 to 30 September 2027

  Fee

  £906 for 5 years

  Current council page: selective licence £905.75, VAT exempt, paid in 2 stages (half on application, the rest when the draft licence is issued); no instalment plans. No page-updated date shown.

  Who needs one

  Privately rented homes in the designated area let to one household or 2 individuals (a whole house under a single tenancy, or dwellings in a house under separate tenancies), unless the property needs an HMO licence.

  Exemptions

  HMOs licensable under Part 2; tenancies granted by a registered social landlord; Interim/Final Management Orders; temporary exemption notices (s86); tenancies exempt under SI 2006/370 (Annex B of the designation lists them: prohibition orders, business/licensed premises/agricultural tenancies, homes managed by public bodies, regulated accommodation such as care homes, approved-code student lets, long leases over 21 years, family members, holiday lets, lodgers with the owner, etc.).

  Notes

  Made 31 March 2022 under the 2015 general approval; in force 1 October 2022; the designation says it 'shall cease to have effect on 1 October 2027 or earlier if the Council revokes the scheme'. That is the fifth anniversary of the start, so end_date is 30 September 2027, the last day in force (the 2026 evidence report says 'due to run until September 2027'). The council proposes to revoke this designation and redesignate its area within a new 18-ward scheme (consultation closed 12 October 2026; Cabinet decision expected late 2026). The council's licensing page still cites a £30,000 maximum penalty and Section 21, both out of date since the Renters' Rights Act changes of 1 May 2026; its HMO page cites £40,000. Confidence is medium because the designation wording ('Parts of...'), the council web page and the consultation each describe the ward coverage differently.

  Apply on the council siteLicence conditionsDesignation or map

  Sources

  • royalgreenwich.gov.uk: download
  • royalgreenwich.gov.uk: check if you need private rented property licence
  • royalgreenwich.gov.uk: how much property licence
  • royalgreenwich.gov.uk: how long property licence
  • hdp-eu-prod-app-rbg-community-files.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com: RBG Selective Licensing Consultation Evidence Report 2026 (PDF)

• Additional HMO licence

  In force

  Royal Borough of Greenwich Designation for an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2023

  Area

  Whole district of the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

  Runs

  1 January 2024 to 31 December 2028

  Fee

  Not yet confirmed

  HMO licence fee is per letting: £527.82 per letting for up to 5 lettings; for 6 or more, £527.82 for each of the first 5 and £316.69 for each extra letting. VAT exempt; half on application, half when the draft licence is issued. The page does not separate additional and mandatory HMO fees.

  Who needs one

  All HMOs (s254, including s257 converted blocks where the conversion did not meet the 1991 Building Regulations and more than one third of flats are on short tenancies) that are not mandatory HMOs: in practice 3 or 4 people from 2 or more households sharing a kitchen, bathroom or toilet.

  Exemptions

  Mandatory HMOs; Schedule 14 buildings; Interim/Final Management Orders; temporary exemption notices (s62).

  Notes

  Made 20 September 2023 under the 2015 general approval; in force 1 January 2024; ceases 31 December 2028. The council HMO page says a Civil Penalty Notice of up to £40,000 can be issued to each person committing the offence of failing to license an HMO.

  Apply on the council siteLicence conditionsDesignation or map

  Sources

  • royalgreenwich.gov.uk: download
  • royalgreenwich.gov.uk: new additional hmo licensing scheme offers better standards private tenants and guidance
  • royalgreenwich.gov.uk: how much property licence
  • royalgreenwich.gov.uk: hmo licensing

• Mandatory HMO licence

  In force

  Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Greenwich fees)

  Area

  Entire borough (national scheme).

  Fee

  Not yet confirmed

  Same per-letting HMO fee as additional licences: £527.82 per letting for the first 5, £316.69 per extra letting.

  Who needs one

  5 or more people forming 2 or more households sharing a toilet, bathroom or kitchen.

  Apply on the council siteLicence conditions

  Sources

  • royalgreenwich.gov.uk: how much property licence

• Selective licence

  Proposed

  Proposed Royal Borough of Greenwich selective licensing scheme (three designations, 18 wards)

  Area

  Proposal only. 17 full wards plus the southern part of Woolwich Arsenal (the Royal Arsenal riverside area is excluded), grouped into three proposed designations. Designation one: Abbey Wood, Charlton Village and Riverside, Plumstead and Glyndon, Thamesmead Moorings, Woolwich Common, Woolwich Dockyard and southern Woolwich Arsenal. Designation two: Blackheath Westcombe, Charlton Hornfair, East Greenwich, Eltham Town and Avery Hill, Greenwich Park, Kidbrooke Park, Plumstead Common, Shooters Hill, West Thamesmead. Designation three: Eltham Page, Middle Park and Horn Park. Would cover about 70% of the borough's private rented sector.

  18 wards, as named in the proposal (current (2022) wards):

  • Abbey Wood
  • Blackheath Westcombe
  • Charlton Hornfair
  • Charlton Village & Riverside
  • East Greenwich
  • Eltham Page
  • Eltham Town & Avery Hill
  • Greenwich Park
  • Kidbrooke Park
  • Middle Park & Horn Park
  • Plumstead & Glyndon
  • Plumstead Common
  • Shooters Hill
  • Thamesmead Moorings
  • West Thamesmead
  • Woolwich Arsenal
  • Woolwich Common
  • Woolwich Dockyard

  Fee

  £974 for 5 years

  Proposed fee £974 per property for five years: Part A £407 (application/administration), Part B £567 (compliance and enforcement). 10% discount proposed for members of an approved accreditation scheme (LLAS, NRLA, UKALA). Not final.

  Who needs one

  Proposed: privately rented homes in the proposed wards that are not licensable as mandatory or additional HMOs.

  Notes

  Consultation ran 21 July to 12 October 2026. A report goes to Cabinet towards the end of 2026; Cabinet will set the start date if it approves. If made, it would replace (revoke) the 2022 designation. No Secretary of State confirmation is needed under the December 2024 general approval.

  Licence conditionsDesignation or map

  Sources

  • communityconversations.royalgreenwich.gov.uk: selective licensing 2026 consultation
  • hdp-eu-prod-app-rbg-community-files.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com: RBG Selective Licensing Consultation Evidence Report 2026 (PDF)

Council source

Greenwich's civil penalty policy

• Selective Licensing Expansion Consultation (18 wards)Closed, awaiting decision

  Closed 12 October 2026

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

• Not yet confirmed

  Exact coverage of the current selective area: the designation says 'Parts of Plumstead, Glyndon, Shooters Hill, Woolwich Common and Woolwich Riverside' (pre-2022 wards, map-defined). The council page names five wards including 'Plumstead Common' and 'Plumstead Glyndon', and the consultation names six current wards. The Annex A map was not inspected. The Annex A map was not inspected in the independent check (2026-10-14) either.

• Not yet confirmed

  Whether Greenwich has adopted a civil penalty policy updated for the Renters' Rights Act 2025 (the October 2024 policy still shows a £30,000 maximum).

• Not yet confirmed

  Outcome and start date of the proposed 18-ward selective scheme: Cabinet decision expected late 2026, and the revocation date for the 2022 designation is not set.

• Not yet confirmed

  Whether the £905.75 selective fee and per-letting HMO fees are 2026/27 figures; the fee page has no date.

Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Greenwich 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