Do I Need a Landlord Licence in Barking and Dagenham?

If you privately rent out a property anywhere in Barking and Dagenham, the short answer is almost certainly yes. Since April 2025, LBBD's borough-wide selective licensing scheme means most privately rented homes in all 19 wards need a licence, subject to statutory exemptions — and that's on top of the HMO schemes that were already running.

How to Work Out Which Licence

The licence type depends entirely on who lives in the property and how many separate households they form:

Single occupant, a couple, or a family → Selective licence (£950)

Two unrelated sharers → Still a selective licence. Two people who aren't related or cohabiting count as two separate households, but the selective scheme covers properties with up to two households.

Three or four occupants forming two or more households → Additional HMO licence (£1,400). This is the one that catches landlords off guard. Three friends sharing a house are three separate households, which triggers the additional HMO scheme.

Five or more occupants forming two or more households → Mandatory HMO licence (£1,500+). This applies nationally, not just in LBBD.

Under the Housing Act 2004, a "household" includes people related by blood, marriage, civil partnership or recognised cohabitation, including specified foster relationships. A couple sharing with a friend means two households (the couple plus the friend). Three unrelated flatmates mean three households.

Properties That Don't Need a Licence

A handful of exemptions exist:

• Properties owned by a local authority, housing association or registered social landlord
• Owner-occupied homes (you live there as your main residence)
• Lettings to family members where no commercial rent or other financial consideration is payable
• Holiday lets, tenancies under long leases (over 21 years), and commercial tenancies
• Student accommodation managed by an educational institution
• Resident landlords with no more than two lodgers alongside their own household
• Properties subject to a Temporary Exemption Notice or management order

If none of these apply and the property is privately rented in LBBD, it needs a licence.

What About Leasehold Flats?

Purpose-built flats in blocks of three or more self-contained units are exempt from mandatory HMO licensing. But if a purpose-built flat is let to three or four unrelated people, it still needs an additional HMO licence. If let to one household or two sharers, it needs a selective licence.

Section 257 converted blocks (buildings split into flats without complying with 1991 Building Regulations, where fewer than two-thirds of units are owner-occupied) are exempt from both HMO schemes at the building level — but each individually rented flat inside still requires its own selective licence.

If LBBD holds the head freehold on your leasehold property, you also need written consent from their Leasehold Services team before applying. HMO operation is generally prohibited within LBBD-owned freeholds.

How to Check

LBBD's public register at lbbd.metastreet.co.uk/public-register shows licensed properties. If your property isn't listed, don't assume it's exempt — contact the PRPL team at [email protected] to confirm.

For a structured decision worksheet that walks through every property configuration, the Barking and Dagenham Landlord Licensing Guide includes a scheme selection tool covering selective, additional and mandatory scenarios.

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