Do I Need a Landlord Licence in Lambeth? How to Check Your Property

If you rent out a property in Lambeth, you almost certainly need a licence. The borough runs three separate schemes that between them cover every type of private rented home in 23 of its 25 wards. Only two specific situations leave you without a licensing requirement.

The Quick Check

Answer three questions:

1. Where is the property?

Lambeth's selective licensing covers 23 wards. Only two wards are exempt: Vauxhall and Waterloo & South Bank. If your property is in either of those wards and it is not an HMO, you do not need a selective licence.

Use the ward checker on lambeth.gov.uk — enter the full property address rather than just the postcode, because boundary-street properties can fall in a different ward than expected.

2. How many people live there, and how are they related?

This determines which licence type applies:

• Single household or up to 2 unrelated sharers → selective licence (if in one of the 23 designated wards)
• 3 or 4 people from 2+ separate households → additional HMO licence (borough-wide)
• 5 or more people from 2+ separate households → mandatory HMO licence (borough-wide)

A "household" under Section 258 of the Housing Act 2004 is a single person, a couple, or a family unit. Two unrelated flatmates count as two households. A couple with two children count as one household. Children are counted as individual occupants for the total headcount.

3. Is the property exempt?

A small number of exemptions exist under Schedule 14 of the Housing Act 2004:

• Resident landlords who live in the property as their main home with no more than two lodgers — exempt from all three schemes
• Social housing managed by a housing association or local authority
• Purpose-built student halls managed by a university that follows an approved code of practice
• Religious communities
• Family lettings where every tenant is a direct family member of the landlord, with no subletting

If none of those apply, and your property is in one of the 23 designated wards (or qualifies as an HMO), it needs a licence.

Common Situations That Catch Landlords Out

"It's just a couple — why do I need a licence?" In any of the 23 selective wards, even a property let to a single person needs a selective licence. The scheme is not limited to HMOs.

"I let through an agent — isn't it their responsibility?" Liability can attach to the person managing or controlling the property, the landlord to the tenant, and certain superior landlords. An agent can handle the application, but appointing one does not automatically transfer the landlord's responsibilities. The licence holder is typically the freeholder, primary leaseholder, or owning company.

"I own a flat in a converted building." If the building's conversion work did not comply with the building standards that applied at the time and still does not, and fewer than two-thirds of the flats are owner-occupied, the whole building is classified as a Section 257 HMO. The freeholder needs an additional HMO licence for the building's common parts, and each flat owner may need their own selective or HMO licence depending on occupancy.

"My property is in Vauxhall — am I completely off the hook?" For selective licensing, yes. But if the property qualifies as an HMO (three or more people from two or more households), it still needs a borough-wide additional or mandatory HMO licence regardless of ward.

What Happens If You Do Not Apply

Since 1 May 2026, operating without a licence in Lambeth carries a civil penalty of up to £40,000 per offence. Tenants can apply for a rent repayment order recovering up to 24 months of rent. Lambeth's enforcement team has been active: over £1.1 million in penalties across 450 actions in a single year.

Possession routes also changed on 1 May 2026: landlords now seek possession through revised Section 8 grounds, not Section 21 no-fault notices. The absence of a licence can still lead to enforcement action.

Our Lambeth landlord licensing guide walks through the full decision process — address check, household count, scheme selection, exemptions — with the documents, fees and application steps for whichever licence your property needs.

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