Lettance
← All councils

Council licensing · London

Licensing in Hackney

Hackney has selective licensing in 17 wards and additional HMO licensing across the whole council area.

Researched 14 October 2026 · Independently checked 14 October 2026

Check a specific address in Hackney

We match the postcode to its ward and the schemes below.

Licensing, ward by ward

Tap a ward, or focus it with your keyboard, to see its name and recorded coverage.

  • Selective licensing area17
  • Additional HMO licensing area4

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
17 wards
Additional HMO licensing
Yes, whole council area
Article 4 on house shares
None found
Consultation
None open

Licensing schemes

  • Selective licence

    In force

    London Borough of Hackney Designation of an Area for Selective Licensing 2025

    Area

    The entire district of each of 17 of Hackney's 21 wards, shown in purple on the map annexed to the designation. The council says this covers 76% of privately rented homes. The four wards outside the designation are not named in the sources fetched; they are covered only by additional and mandatory HMO licensing.

    17 wards, as named in the designation (current wards (designation does not state a boundary date)):

    • Brownswood
    • Cazenove
    • Clissold
    • Dalston
    • De Beauvoir
    • Hackney Central
    • Hackney Downs
    • Hackney Wick
    • Homerton
    • King’s Park
    • Lea Bridge
    • London Fields
    • Shacklewell
    • Springfield
    • Stamford Hill West
    • Stoke Newington
    • Victoria
    Runs
    1 May 2026 to 30 April 2031
    Fee

    £925 for 5 years

    Part A £555 on application (non-refundable if rejected or withdrawn), Part B £370 on approval; final licence not issued until paid in full. Discounts: EPC B or above £100 off Part B; EPC C £50 off Part B; accredited landlord £100 off Part B; multi-dwelling £100 off Part A. Full schedule in a council Google Doc (not fetched). No page-updated date shown.

    Who needs one
    Privately rented homes in the 17 wards let to a single household (e.g. a family or couple), a single tenant, or 2 individuals sharing, unless licensable as a mandatory or additional HMO.
    Exemptions
    Mandatory HMOs; HMOs licensable under the 2025 additional designation; temporary exemption notices (s86); interim or final management orders; tenancies exempt under s79(3) or article 2 of SI 2006/370.
    Notes
    Designated 27 November 2025 (notice dated 1 December 2025) under the December 2024 general approval, so no Secretary of State confirmation. In force 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2031. Follows a 14-week consultation (12 June to 21 September 2025). Hackney previously ran selective (pilot) and additional schemes from 2018 to 2023, with a gap until May 2026. The designation notice and the council licence page still cite a £30,000 penalty and Section 21, but the council's April 2026 civil penalty policy uses the £40,000 Renters' Rights Act maximum. The council's Schedule of Fees, Charges and Discounts says 'Licences will be granted for the duration of the scheme (up to 5 years)'; shorter terms are possible where there are management concerns.
    Apply on the council siteLicence conditionsDesignation or map

    Sources

  • Additional HMO licence

    In force

    London Borough of Hackney Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing 2025

    Area

    Whole of the London Borough of Hackney.

    Runs
    1 May 2026 to 30 April 2031
    Fee

    £1,400 for 5 years

    Part A £840 + Part B £560. Same discounts as selective (EPC B+ £100 / EPC C £50 / accredited £100 off Part B; multi-dwelling £100 off Part A).

    Who needs one
    HMOs under s254(1)(a)-(d) occupied by 3 or more persons in 2 or more households that are not mandatory HMOs: in practice 3 or 4 sharers in houses, converted flats and flats in blocks. Section 257 converted blocks are excluded.
    Exemptions
    Temporary exemption notices (s62); interim or final management orders; mandatory HMOs; Schedule 14 buildings; s257 HMOs.
    Notes
    Designated 27 November 2025 under the 2024 general approval. The selective notice refers to this as 'made on 1 December 2025', while the additional notice says designated 27 November 2025; the 1 December date appears to be the notice date. Licences are granted for the duration of the scheme, up to 5 years (Schedule of Fees, Charges and Discounts).
    Apply on the council siteLicence conditionsDesignation or map

    Sources

  • Mandatory HMO licence

    In force

    Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Hackney fees)

    Area

    Entire borough (national scheme).

    Fee

    £1,400 for 5 years

    Part A £840 + Part B £560 (flat fee, same as additional HMO); same discounts.

    Who needs one
    Shared homes with 5 or more people from 2 or more households sharing facilities.
    Exemptions
    Schedule 14 Housing Act 2004.
    Notes
    The council's Schedule of Fees, Charges and Discounts applies to all Hackney licence types and says licences are granted for up to 5 years.
    Apply on the council siteLicence conditions

    Sources

Article 4 for house shares

We found no Article 4 direction on house shares in Hackney.

Council source

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.

Civil Penalty Notice Policy (Appendix 2 to the Cabinet report 'Updates to Enforcement and Civil Penalty Policies'). A third-party record (opencouncil.network) says Cabinet approved it on 27 April 2026; the council's decision page returned 403. The matrix runs: statutory-guidance starting point; Landlord Type adjustment (+20% for 6+ properties, 3+ HMOs, corporate landlord/director or significant experience; -20% only for small inexperienced landlords); mitigation up to -20%; aggravation; financial considerations; totality. Failure to obtain a selective licence starts at £12,000 (£9,600 / £12,000 / £14,400). Failure to obtain an HMO licence starts at £17,000 (£13,600 / £17,000 / £20,400). The statutory maximum is £40,000. The prompt-payment section says 20% off if paid within the final-notice period (normally 28 days), but its worked example applies 15%, an internal inconsistency.

Hackney's civil penalty policy

Consultations

Not yet confirmed

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

  • Not yet confirmed

    Prompt-payment discount in the civil penalty policy: the text says 20%, the worked example says 15%.

  • Not yet confirmed

    The Cabinet approval of the civil penalty policy (27 April 2026) is confirmed only by a third-party decision tracker; hackney.moderngov.co.uk issue page returned 403. It could not be independently re-checked on 2026-10-14 because hackney.moderngov.co.uk still returned a Cloudflare challenge.

  • Not yet confirmed

    The four wards outside the selective designation are not named in the fetched sources; the map annex was not inspected. The independent check (2026-10-14) could not name them from a council source either; by inference from Hackney's 21-ward pattern they are probably Haggerston, Hoxton East & Shoreditch, Hoxton West and Woodberry Down.

  • Not yet confirmed

    No C3-to-C4 Article 4 direction appears on the council's Article 4 page; confirm with Hackney planning that none exists elsewhere (e.g. a proposed direction).

Landlord register

Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Hackney 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