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Council licensing · London

Licensing in Sutton

Sutton has additional HMO licensing across the whole council area.

Researched 14 October 2026 · Independently checked 14 October 2026

Check a specific address in Sutton

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

Licensing, ward by ward

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  • Additional HMO licensing area20

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

Licensing schemes

  • Additional HMO licence

    In forceMedium confidence

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

    Area

    The whole London Borough of Sutton (Annex A map, edged black).

    Runs
    22 March 2026 to 21 December 2030
    Fee

    £319 for 5 years

    The council page says £319.40 'per let' for both mandatory and additional licences. The 25 November 2025 committee report sets £319.40 per lettable room: Part A £231.38 for inspection and administration, Part B £88.02 for enforcement, refundable if the application is rejected. There is a £300 penalty fee where no application was made and the council discovers the property, and £300 if a complete application is not supplied within 28 days. No variation fee except for added rooms. No accreditation discount is listed. An optional assisted application service costs £350 per property.

    Who needs one
    Every HMO that is not a mandatory HMO. The designation's Annex B covers any HMO within ss.254 to 259 of the Housing Act 2004, so section 257 converted blocks are included. The council page describes the scheme as covering HMOs below the 5-person mandatory threshold, that is 3 or more unrelated people forming more than one household and sharing amenities.
    Exemptions
    Buildings that are not HMOs under Schedule 14 (Annex C, e.g. those managed by councils, registered providers, police, fire or NHS bodies, and certain co-operatives); HMOs under an interim or final management order; temporary exemptions (s.62); mandatory HMOs. The council page notes a resident landlord can have up to 2 lodgers before the property becomes an HMO.
    Notes
    This is a new scheme, Sutton's first discretionary licensing. The Housing, Economy and Business Committee approved it on 25 November 2025; the designation was made on 22 December 2025 and came into force on 22 March 2026. The council page now says the lead-in period has expired and the scheme is fully live. The designation text says it ceases to have effect on 21 December 2030, which is less than 5 years after the start. The council's own copies of the designation and public notice (sutton.gov.uk/documents/d/guest/...) now return 404 and are not in the Wayback Machine, so the text was read from a copy rehosted by London Property Licensing (PDF titled 'AHMO designation LBS'). Search-engine snippets of a council notice version gave the end date as 22 March 2030 instead, which is unverified. London Property Licensing reports that the public notice limited s.257 HMOs to buildings where less than half the flats are owner-occupied, while the designation includes all s.257 HMOs. Applications are by downloadable form, not online. The council estimated about 690 HMOs need an additional licence.
    Apply on the council siteLicence conditions

    Sources

  • Mandatory HMO licence

    In force

    Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, Sutton fees)

    Area

    The whole borough (national scheme).

    Fee

    £319 for 5 years

    £319.40 per let, the same as additional licensing. The committee report recommended raising the mandatory fee from £285 per lettable room (2025/26) to £319.40 from 1 April 2026 to match. Penalty fees are the same as for additional licensing.

    Who needs one
    Any property with 5 or more unrelated occupiers forming more than one household and sharing amenities.
    Exemptions
    Statutory exemptions under Schedule 14, Housing Act 2004.
    Notes
    This is the national scheme. Sutton publishes its own page and fee for it.
    Apply on the council site

    Sources

Article 4 for house shares

Sutton 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 (the whole administrative area). It withdraws the Class L(b) permitted development right for C3 dwellinghouse to C4 HMO changes of use. The direction was made on 22 February 2024 and confirmed by the Housing, Economy and Business Committee on 26 November 2024.
Takes effect
22 February 2025

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 penalties under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and other housing legislation' was approved, with the Housing Enforcement Policy, by the Housing, Economy and Business Committee on 9 June 2026 (minutes item 8). It uses the MHCLG statutory starting points with no local rent uplift. A 20% 'Landlord Type' adjustment applies: upward if the landlord has had 6 or more properties, 3 or more HMOs, or significant experience; downward only if the landlord has had at most 2 properties, at most 1 HMO, and very limited experience. Failure to obtain an HMO licence starts at £17,000 (£13,600 downward, £20,400 upward). Aggravating and mitigating factors are then applied. The statutory maximum is £40,000. There is a 15% discount for prompt payment. The council's HMO 'Enforcement Options' web page still says the maximum civil penalty is £30,000 and links the 2022 Kingston and Sutton enforcement policy, so it is out of date.

Sutton's civil penalty policy

Consultations

Not yet confirmed

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

  • Not yet confirmed

    The council-hosted designation and public notice now return 404. The end date (21 December 2030) is taken from a third-party rehost of the designation. A council notice version reportedly said 22 March 2030 (seen only in search snippets). Confirm the end date with the council. The independent check (2026-10-14) could not retrieve council or archived copies either. The 25 November 2025 committee report (para 1.4) says the scheme 'will commence in March 2026 for a duration of 5 years', which would imply March 2031.

  • Not yet confirmed

    s.257 HMOs: the designation (Annex B, ss.254 to 259) includes all of them, but London Property Licensing reports the public notice limited them to buildings where less than half the flats are owner-occupied. Confirm which applies. This could not be independently re-checked on 2026-10-14 because the public notice could not be retrieved.

  • Not yet confirmed

    Fee basis: the council page says £319.40 'per let' but the committee report says per lettable room with a Part A/Part B split. Check whether a Part A/B split is applied in practice.

  • Not yet confirmed

    The council's HMO enforcement page still cites a £30,000 maximum and the 2022 enforcement policy, although the June 2026 Renters' Rights Act civil penalty policy was adopted. Confirm that the published web policy will be updated.

  • Not yet confirmed

    Not independently re-checked (verification of 2026-10-14): the dates the Article 4 direction was made (22 Feb 2024) and confirmed (26 Nov 2024); the confirmation notice states only the in-force date.

Landlord register

Licensing is separate from the national landlord register. Sutton 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