Croydon Licensed Properties Register: How to Search and What It Shows

What the Public Register Is

Croydon Council maintains a statutory register of licensed properties under Section 232 of the Housing Act 2004. It covers every property that currently holds a mandatory HMO licence, additional HMO licence or selective licence within the borough. The register is publicly accessible through the council's licensing portal at landlordlicensing.croydon.gov.uk/public-register.

Anyone can search it — tenants checking whether their landlord is licensed, prospective tenants vetting a property before signing, or landlords confirming their own licence appears correctly.

What Information the Register Contains

Each entry on the register shows:

• The address of the licensed property
• The name and service address of the licence holder
• The name of the managing agent (if different from the licence holder)
• The licence grant date and expiry date
• The licence reference number
• Maximum permitted number of occupants and households
• A summary of the property's room configuration and amenities

Being on the register confirms that an active licence exists. It does not mean the council has endorsed the property as perfect or fully compliant with planning rules — a licence covers housing management standards, not planning consent.

How to Use the Register

Search by street address or postcode. The register returns properties that currently hold an active licence. If a property does not appear, it could mean the landlord has not applied, the application is still being processed, or the property genuinely does not require a licence (for example, a single-family let in one of the 14 wards outside the selective licensing designation, or an owner-occupied home).

There are some important limitations:

• Pending applications: Croydon adds licences to the register when they are formally issued, so an application still being processed will not appear.
• Expired licences: Properties whose licences have lapsed may not appear, even if a renewal application is in progress.
• Scheme coverage: The register covers all three licensing types (mandatory HMO, additional HMO and selective). If a property requires licensing and is absent from the register, it may be operating unlicensed.

Reporting a Suspected Unlicensed Property

If you believe a property should be licensed but does not appear on the register, you can report it directly through the council's online portal. Croydon Council's Housing Enforcement Team investigates reports of unlicensed properties and can impose civil penalties of up to £40,000 per offence under Section 249A of the Housing Act 2004.

Tenants in unlicensed properties may also be able to apply for a Rent Repayment Order through the First-tier Tribunal, recovering up to 24 months of rent paid during the unlicensed period.

For Landlords: Check Your Own Entry

After your licence is granted, verify your entry on the public register. Confirm that the address, licence holder name, occupancy limits and expiry date are all correct. If anything is wrong, contact the council's Private Sector Housing Team to request a correction.

For the full licensing process, including which scheme applies to your property and what documents you need, see our step-by-step Croydon licensing guide.

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