Ealing HMO Licence: Additional, Mandatory and Section 257 Explained

If you rent a shared house in Ealing, the property almost certainly needs an HMO licence. Ealing runs two borough-wide HMO licensing schemes, and the distinction between them trips up landlords more than any other part of the process.

Mandatory HMO Licensing

This is the national scheme under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004. It applies everywhere in England — not just Ealing — and has no expiry date. Your property needs a mandatory HMO licence if it houses five or more people from two or more separate households who share at least one basic amenity (kitchen, bathroom or toilet).

The threshold dropped from three storeys to any layout in October 2018. A single-storey bungalow with five unrelated sharers needs this licence just as much as a three-storey Victorian conversion.

Everyone counts toward the headcount, including children. Two parents, two children and one lodger equals five people and two households.

Additional HMO Licensing

Ealing's borough-wide additional HMO licensing scheme started on 1 April 2022 and runs until 31 March 2027. A public consultation on the successor scheme ran from July to September 2026.

This scheme catches HMOs that fall below the mandatory threshold — typically three or four unrelated people from two or more households sharing facilities. If your property is an HMO under the Housing Act 2004 definition but does not hit the five-person mandatory mark, additional licensing picks it up.

Section 257 HMOs

Section 257 covers entire buildings that were converted into self-contained flats before June 1992 (the date the Building Regulations 1991 took effect) without complying with those regulations, where less than two-thirds of the flats are owner-occupied.

Under Ealing's additional licensing designation, a Section 257 building needs a licence if it has three or more flats, all flats are privately rented, and the building remains under single ownership or effective control. A converted building with only two flats is excluded.

The Section 257 licence covers the building's common parts and structural fire safety. Individual flats within the building that are separately occupied by sharers may still need their own individual HMO or selective licence.

Which Scheme Takes Priority?

A property can only hold one licence. If it qualifies as an HMO — mandatory or additional — Part 2 takes absolute priority over Part 3 (selective licensing). A four-person house-share in a selective licensing ward needs an additional HMO licence, not a selective licence.

The Cost of Getting It Wrong

Since 1 May 2026, civil penalties for operating an unlicensed HMO in Ealing can reach £40,000 per property. Tenants can also claim a rent repayment order covering up to 24 months of rent. The financial exposure on even a small house-share adds up fast.

The Ealing landlord licensing guide walks through each HMO type with a decision flowchart, the full fee schedule, and the documents you need for a first-time-right application.

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