Does My Ealing Property Need a Licence?

You have heard that Ealing Council runs property licensing schemes — but you are not sure whether your rental actually needs one. The answer depends on three things: where the property is, who lives there, and how many households they form.

Step 1: Check the Address Against Ealing's Licensing Map

Ealing's selective licensing only covers certain wards, and both designations use ward boundaries from before May 2022. The borough redrew its electoral map that month, so a modern ward lookup will give you the wrong answer.

Use Ealing Council's official interactive licensing map or postcode checker. Enter the full address and postcode — the tool references the pre-2022 designation schedules. If the result is unclear (boundary streets, basement flats, newly assigned postcodes), contact the Property Licensing Team at [email protected] for written confirmation before you let the property.

Step 2: Count the People and Households

Property licensing thresholds are based on actual occupants, not the names on the tenancy agreement:

• Five or more people from two or more households sharing facilities → mandatory HMO licence (borough-wide, no ward check needed)
• Three or four people from two or more households sharing facilities → additional HMO licence (borough-wide)
• Single household or two unrelated sharers in a designated selective ward → selective licence
• Single household in a non-designated ward → no licence required (but other landlord duties still apply)

Every individual counts, including children. A couple with three children and one lodger equals six people and two households — that trips the mandatory HMO threshold.

Step 3: Check for HMO Priority

If your property qualifies as an HMO under the Housing Act 2004, it is licensed under Part 2 (HMO licensing), and selective licensing does not apply — even if the property sits in a selective ward. You cannot hold two licences on the same property.

What If You're Not Sure?

If the occupancy is borderline or the property straddles a ward boundary, do not guess. An unlicensed property can attract civil penalties of up to £40,000, and tenants can claim back up to 24 months of rent through a rent repayment order.

The Ealing landlord licensing guide includes a scheme decision flowchart, the full ward lists for both selective designations, and a pre-submission checklist so you can work through the classification confidently before paying any application fees.

See more England guides →