Council licensing · London
Licensing in Southwark
Southwark has selective licensing in 19 wards and additional HMO licensing across the whole council area.
Researched 14 October 2026 · Independently checked 14 October 2026
Check a specific address in Southwark
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 area19
- 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
- 19 wards
- Additional HMO licensing
- Yes, whole council area
- Article 4 on house shares
- Yes
- Consultation
- None open
Licensing schemes
Selective licence
In forceLondon Borough of Southwark Designations for Areas for Selective Licensing 2022 (Designations 1 and 2)
- Area
Designation 1: Newington and Champion Hill. Designation 2: Faraday, Goose Green and St. Giles. Five wards in total.
5 wards, as named in the designation (current Southwark wards (names match the 23-ward list in the ONS 2026 ward lookup)):
- Newington
- Champion Hill
- Faraday
- Goose Green
- St. Giles
- Runs
- 1 March 2022 to 28 February 2027
- Fee
£945 for 5 years
Part A £661.50 on application, Part B £283.50 on grant. The fee did not change on 1 April 2026. Gold Standard Charter landlords get 50% off Part B, or pay no Part B if also in the council's finders' fee scheme. Registered charities providing below-market or adapted housing get 50% off Parts A and B. Invoice charge £60.50 and paper application charge £179.70 (2026/27). Fee page last updated 10 March 2026.
- Who needs one
- Every privately rented house or flat in the designated wards let under a tenancy or licence, unless it is an HMO that needs a mandatory or additional HMO licence.
- Exemptions
- HMOs licensable under the mandatory or additional schemes; tenancies granted by a registered social landlord; properties under an interim or final management order; properties with a temporary exemption (s.86); tenancies exempt under the Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006.
- Notes
- Made 28 October 2021 and in force from 1 March 2022. The notice says the designations 'shall cease to have effect on 1 March 2027' (at most 5 years from 1 March 2022). end_date records the last day in force, 28 February 2027. No renewal consultation or forward-plan decision was found (see open_questions), so landlords in these five wards should check before March 2027 whether a replacement scheme exists. The notice cites both pairs of designations by the same name ('...Selective Licensing 2022'). Licences are usually 5 years, or 1 or 3 years where there is evidence of poor management.
Selective licence
In forceLondon Borough of Southwark Designations for Areas for Selective Licensing 2022 (Designations 3 and 4)
- Area
Designation 3: North Walworth, Nunhead & Queens Road, Old Kent Road and Peckham. Designation 4: Camberwell Green, Chaucer, Dulwich Hill, Dulwich Wood, London Bridge & West Bermondsey, Peckham Rye, Rotherhithe, Rye Lane, South Bermondsey and Surrey Docks. Fourteen wards in total. Together with Designations 1 and 2, selective licensing covers 19 of Southwark's 23 wards. The only wards with no selective licensing are Borough & Bankside, Dulwich Village, North Bermondsey and St George's.
14 wards, as named in the designation (current Southwark wards (names match the 23-ward list in the ONS 2026 ward lookup)):
- North Walworth
- Nunhead & Queens Road
- Old Kent Road
- Peckham
- Camberwell Green
- Chaucer
- Dulwich Hill
- Dulwich Wood
- London Bridge & West Bermondsey
- Peckham Rye
- Rotherhithe
- Rye Lane
- South Bermondsey
- Surrey Docks
- Runs
- 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2028
- Fee
£945 for 5 years
Part A £661.50, Part B £283.50. The fee and discounts are the same as for Designations 1 and 2. Fee page last updated 10 March 2026.
- Who needs one
- Every privately rented house or flat in the designated wards let under a tenancy or licence, unless it is an HMO that needs a mandatory or additional HMO licence.
- Exemptions
- HMOs licensable under the mandatory or additional schemes; tenancies granted by a registered social landlord; properties under an interim or final management order; properties with a temporary exemption (s.86); tenancies exempt under SI 2006/370.
- Notes
- Made 6 December 2022, confirmed by the Secretary of State on 14 June 2023, and in force from 1 November 2023. The notice says it ceases to have effect on 31 October 2028. Dulwich Wood ward is in Designation 4.
Additional HMO licence
In forceThe London Borough of Southwark Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2022
- Area
The entire London Borough of Southwark.
- Runs
- 1 March 2022 to 28 February 2027
- Fee
£1,433 for 5 years
From 1 April 2026: Part A £1,017.50, Part B £415.50, total £1,433 (previously £1,365.10). s.257 HMO licences are £0. Gold Standard Charter landlords get 50% off Part B. Charity discount is 50% of A and B. Fee page last updated 10 March 2026.
- Who needs one
- HMOs occupied by 3 or more people forming 2 or more households that are not mandatory HMOs. The council page says this includes HMOs let to at most 4 people sharing a bathroom or kitchen, flats in multiple occupation in purpose-built blocks of 3 or more flats, and section 257 converted blocks (3 or more floors converted into 3 or more self-contained flats, building and flats under the same ownership or control), which need a free licence.
- Exemptions
- Mandatory HMOs; properties under an interim or final management order; temporary exemptions (s.62); Schedule 14 buildings. Section 257 HMOs are not exempt: they need an additional licence, which is free. The council's additional licensing page (updated 10 March 2026) says the scheme includes 's257 HMOs, where the building is 3 or more floors and converted into 3 or more self-contained flats, and both the building and flats are under the same ownership or control' and that 'There is no charge for section 257 HMO licences.' Drafting defect: designation para 5 places the s.257 description (converted buildings where less than two-thirds of the flats are owner-occupied) as item (e) of its 'unless' list, so read literally it is an exclusion; the council applies it as an inclusion.
- Notes
- Made 28 October 2021 and in force from 1 March 2022. The designation 'shall cease to have effect on 1 March 2027'. end_date records the last day in force, 28 February 2027. No renewal consultation or decision was found as of 14 October 2026 (see open_questions). The selective notices say the additional designation was 'made on 1 January 2022', but the additional notice itself says it was made on 28 October 2021.
Mandatory HMO licence
In forceMandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Southwark fees)
- Area
The whole borough (national scheme).
- Fee
£1,654 for 5 years
From 1 April 2026: £1,653.50 for the first 5 lettings plus £110 for each letting above 5. Part A is £1,157.50 plus £77 per extra letting. Part B is £496 plus £33 per extra letting. Gold Standard and charity discounts apply as for the other schemes.
- Who needs one
- HMOs with at least 5 tenants forming more than one household and sharing toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities.
- Exemptions
- Statutory exemptions under Schedule 14, Housing Act 2004.
- Notes
- This is the national scheme. The council publishes its own page and fees for it.
Article 4 for house shares
Southwark has an Article 4 direction on houses in multiple occupation. Turning a family home into a shared house may need planning permission.
- Area
- Specific areas only, not borough-wide. (1) Henshaw Street, SE17: C3 to C4 and C4 back to C3 need planning permission; the direction came into force on 17 October 2014. (2) Bywater Place, SE16 (Surrey Docks): a house to an HMO for 3 to 6 people needs planning permission; an immediate direction made on 27 October 2016 (the confirmation date is illegible in the scanned PDF). Separately, HMOs for 7 or more people always need planning permission.
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.
Private Sector Housing Enforcement Policy adopted by the Executive on 20 July 2026 and effective from 29 July 2026 (decision 8587). It uses the MHCLG statutory starting points plus a 20% general uplift because Southwark rents are about two-thirds above the national average. A further 20% 'Landlord Type' uplift applies to landlords who have ever had 6 or more properties or 3 or more HMOs, corporate landlords or directors of them, or landlords with significant experience. Aggravating and mitigating factors move the penalty by up to 20% each way. Failure to obtain a selective licence starts at £14,400 (£17,280 with the Landlord Type uplift). Failure to obtain an HMO licence starts at £20,400 (£24,480). The statutory maximum is £40,000. There is a 20% discount for payment within the specified period (normally 28 days), not available if the penalty is appealed.
Consultations
No consultation was recorded when we researched Southwark.
Not yet confirmed
These points were unresolved when we researched Southwark on 14 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.
- Not yet confirmed
The borough-wide additional designation and selective Designations 1 and 2 (Newington, Champion Hill, Faraday, Goose Green, St. Giles) cease to have effect on 1 March 2027. No renewal or replacement consultation was found: the engage.southwark.gov.uk projects API had no property-licensing project, and Southwark's printed Forward Plans for August to November 2026 (the November plan runs to 30 June 2027) list no licensing decision. Because the legal timetable needs a consultation of at least 10 weeks and 3 months' notice, a seamless renewal looks unlikely. Ask the council whether these schemes will lapse. The engage.southwark.gov.uk project listing could not be read in the independent check (2026-10-14), so this finding rests on the Forward Plans, a third-party tracker and web search.
- Not yet confirmed
The Bywater Place Article 4 direction confirmation date is illegible in the council's scanned PDF. It was not independently re-checked on 2026-10-14 (the scanned PDF was not re-read).
- Not yet confirmed
The fee page (last updated 10 March 2026) shows both pre- and post-1 April 2026 figures. The post-April 2026 figures are recorded here. Check them again at the next annual fee review.
- Not yet confirmed
Section 257 HMOs in the additional scheme: the council says they need a free additional licence, but designation para 5 lists the s.257 description as item (e) of its 'unless' exclusions. Confirm with the council how the designation is applied if a s.257 licence is ever disputed.
Landlord register
Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Southwark 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