Council licensing · London
Licensing in Merton
Merton has selective licensing in 4 wards and additional HMO licensing in 7 wards.
Researched 14 October 2026 · Independently checked 14 October 2026
Check a specific address in Merton
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.
- Check council map: area not fully drawn20
Current ONS ward boundaries. Exemptions apply. Use the postcode check and scheme details for your property.
- Selective licensing
- 4 wards
- Additional HMO licensing
- Yes, 7 wards
- Article 4 on house shares
- Yes
- Consultation
- Awaiting decision
Licensing schemes
Selective licence
In forceLondon Borough of Merton Designation of an Area for Selective Licencing 2023
- Area
Four wards in the east of the borough (Mitcham area).
4 wards, as named in the designation (unknown (designation made 19 June 2023; the notice does not state the boundary vintage)):
- Figge’s Marsh
- Graveney
- Longthornton
- Pollards Hill
- Runs
- 24 September 2023 to 23 September 2028
- Fee
£748 for 5 years
Part A £267 on application (non-refundable), Part B £480.60 within 7 days of the approval email. Fees last updated 1 April 2026. £50 discount for accreditation or membership (LLAS, NRLA, NALS, UKALA, ARLA, RICS), not available after two or more document requests or a warning letter. Pre-licensing consultation £180.
- Who needs one
- Houses or flats in the designated wards occupied under a single tenancy or licence, or under two or more tenancies of different dwellings in the same building, by a single household. Licensable HMOs are excluded.
- Exemptions
- Mandatory HMOs and HMOs licensable under Merton's additional designation; registered social landlord tenancies; properties under interim or final management orders; properties with a temporary exemption; tenancies exempt under SI 2006/370. The council page also lists: business premises, holiday homes, student lets managed by the educational establishment, long leases of 21+ years, family-member lets, lettings sharing accommodation with the landlord, and properties untenanted throughout.
- Notes
- Designated 19 June 2023 under the 2015 General Approval, so no Secretary of State confirmation was needed. In force 24 September 2023 and ceases 23 September 2028. The notice quotes a £30,000 civil penalty maximum and 12-month rent repayment orders (pre-Renters' Rights Act figures). A licence normally lasts five years but can be shorter.
Additional HMO licence
In forceLondon Borough of Merton Designation of an Area for Additional Licencing 2023
- Area
Seven wards in the east of the borough. The designation notice spells the last ward 'Pollard Hill'; the council web page says 'Pollards Hill'.
7 wards, as named in the designation (unknown (designation made 19 June 2023; not stated in the notice)):
- Colliers Wood
- Cricket Green
- Figge’s Marsh
- Graveney
- Lavender Fields
- Longthornton
- Pollards Hill
- Runs
- 24 September 2023 to 23 September 2028
- Fee
£1,566 for 5 years
By bedrooms (fees last updated 1 April 2026): 2 bedrooms £1,566 (Part A £267, Part B £1,299); 3 bedrooms £1,620 (Part B £1,353); 4 bedrooms £1,674 (Part B £1,407). £50 accreditation discount.
- Who needs one
- HMOs (section 254 definition) occupied by 3 or more persons in 2 or more households that are not mandatory-licensable. In practice, 3 or 4 people from more than one household.
- Exemptions
- Schedule 14 buildings; HMOs already requiring a mandatory licence; properties under management orders; HMOs with a temporary exemption. The council page also exempts lets to up to two unrelated single people, certain charity-run HMOs, and section 257 buildings of fewer than three storeys converted into two flats or where the building and flats are under different ownership or control.
- Notes
- Designated 19 June 2023 under the 2015 General Approval. In force 24 September 2023 and ceases 23 September 2028. The notice quotes a £30,000 penalty maximum and 12-month rent repayment.
Mandatory HMO licence
In forceMandatory HMO licence
- Area
National scheme across the whole borough.
- Fee
£1,950 for 5 years
By number of units (fees last updated 1 April 2026): Part B is £852.37 at every size, Part A rises by £64.33 per unit. 2 units £1,949.79; 5 units £2,142.78; 10 units £2,464.43. No accreditation discount on mandatory HMO fees.
- Who needs one
- HMOs with 5 or more people forming more than one household, other than purpose-built self-contained flats in a block of 3 or more flats.
- Exemptions
- Section 257 converted blocks (unless an individual flat meets the mandatory test); flats in multiple occupation in purpose-built blocks of 3+ flats; local authority or registered-provider lets; properties under management orders or temporary exemption; owner-occupiers with up to two lodgers; holiday lets and long leases; certain charity-run night shelters and recovery accommodation; religious communities; student halls managed by educational institutions; single-family dwellings.
- Notes
- The fee table starts at 2 units although the mandatory test is 5+ occupiers; fees are charged per unit of accommodation.
Article 4 for house shares
Merton has an Article 4 direction on houses in multiple occupation. Turning a family home into a shared house may need planning permission.
- Area
- Borough_wide via two immediate directions. (1) 7 wards (Colliers Wood, Cricket Green, Figge's Marsh, Graveney, Lavender Fields, Longthornton, Pollards Hill): immediate direction from 17 November 2022, confirmed 19 April 2023. (2) The remaining 13 wards (Abbey, Cannon Hill, Hillside, Lower Morden, Merton Park, Ravensbury, Raynes Park, St Helier, Wandle, West Barnes, Wimbledon Park, Wimbledon Town and Dundonald, Village): immediate direction from 24 March 2026, following the Cabinet decision of 16 February 2026. Consultation on making it permanent ran 8 May to 19 June 2026. Confirmation of the 13-ward direction was not verified from a primary source.
- Takes effect
- 24 March 2026
Civil penalty policy
The council's policy sets how it decides the size of a fine. The version we found has not been updated for the Renters' Rights Act.
The only Merton civil penalty policy found is the Civil Penalties and Rent Repayment Order policy and charging system approved by Cabinet on 3 June 2019 (decision published 5 June 2019, https://democracy.merton.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?AIId=12076) as Appendix 1 ('DRAFT (Ver May 2019)'), alongside a Housing Enforcement Policy (Appendix 3). It caps any single penalty at £30,000 and applies a 50% reduction where income is under £440 a week. No Renters' Rights Act version was found on merton.gov.uk or by web search. The 2023 designation notices also state civil penalties of up to £30,000. democracy.merton.gov.uk is reachable, but merton.moderngov.co.uk is bot-blocked. Richmond upon Thames and Wandsworth use the same Merton-run private housing team and have published policies updated for the Renters' Rights Act; whether Merton has adopted an equivalent is unconfirmed.
Consultations
- Consultation on new HMO planning controls 2026 (making the 24 March 2026 immediate Article 4 Direction for small HMOs in 13 wards permanent)Closed, awaiting decision
Closed 19 June 2026
Not yet confirmed
These points were unresolved when we researched Merton on 14 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.
- Not yet confirmed
Was the 13-ward immediate Article 4 Direction (24 March 2026) confirmed by full Council on 16 September 2026, before the 23 September statutory deadline? A Merton news release of 15 July 2026 (https://news.merton.gov.uk/2026/07/15/merton-set-to-make-borough-wide-hmo-planning-rules-permanent/) says Cabinet approved the recommendation to confirm and that the decision goes to full Council on 16 September 2026. merton.moderngov.co.uk returned a bot challenge and no record of the Council vote was found. If it was not confirmed, small HMOs in the 13 western wards would no longer need planning permission. The council's Article 4 page says permitted development rights 'have been removed across the whole borough'.
- Not yet confirmed
The Merton Article 4 page says Cabinet resolved to introduce the 13-ward direction on '16 February 2024'. This appears to be a typo for 16 February 2026, which the consultation page cites.
- Not yet confirmed
Merton civil penalty policy: only the 2019 Housing and Planning Act 2016 policy (£30,000 cap) was found. Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): whether Merton has adopted a Renters' Rights Act policy that is not published on its website.
- Not yet confirmed
Ward boundary vintage of the 2023 designations is not stated.
- Not yet confirmed
No designation map URL located for the selective or additional schemes; the council points to its MyNeighbourhood ward finder (https://myneighbourhood.merton.gov.uk/MyNeighbourhood/).
Landlord register
Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Merton 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