Ealing Selective Licensing: Which Scheme Applies to Your Property

If you rent out property in Ealing, there is a strong chance you need a licence from the council — and picking the wrong scheme (or assuming you're exempt) can cost you up to £40,000 in civil penalties.

Three Licensing Schemes, One Borough

Ealing Council runs three separate property licensing regimes under the Housing Act 2004:

Mandatory HMO licensing applies borough-wide and has done since 2006. If your property houses five or more people forming two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, you need this licence. The threshold dropped to five people in October 2018 — properties that were previously below the limit may now be caught.

Additional HMO licensing also covers the entire borough. Ealing's current designation started on 1 April 2022 and runs until 31 March 2027. It catches smaller HMOs that fall below the mandatory threshold — typically three or four unrelated sharers in a house. It also covers Section 257 converted buildings (pre-June 1992 conversions with three or more flats under single ownership where all flats are rented).

Selective licensing applies only in designated wards, not the whole borough. Ealing runs two designations: Designation 1 covers East Acton, Southall Broadway and Southall Green (1 April 2022 to 31 March 2027). Designation 2 covers twelve wards including Acton Central, Dormers Wells, Perivale, and Northolt (3 January 2023 to 2 January 2028). Single-family rentals in these wards need a selective licence even if you only rent to one household.

How the Schemes Interact

A property can only hold one licence at a time. If it qualifies as an HMO under the Housing Act 2004 — whether mandatory or additional — Part 2 takes priority and the property is licensed as an HMO. Selective licensing is the fallback for privately rented homes that do not meet HMO definitions.

The practical effect: a four-person house-share in Southall Green needs an additional HMO licence (not a selective licence), even though the property sits in a selective licensing ward.

Ward Boundaries Use Pre-May 2022 Maps

Both selective licensing designations are tied to ward boundaries as they existed before May 2022. The borough redrew its electoral wards that month, so current ward maps do not match the licensing areas. Use Ealing Council's interactive licensing map, which still references the old boundaries, rather than a standard postcode lookup.

What Happens Without a Licence

Operating without the correct licence is a criminal offence under the Housing Act 2004. Since 1 May 2026, Ealing can impose civil penalties of up to £40,000 per property. Tenants can also apply for a rent repayment order covering up to 24 months of rent. Before Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026, licensing status restricted its use; Section 21 is no longer available.

The Ealing landlord licensing guide walks through each scheme's requirements, documents and fees step by step, with a decision flowchart for working out which licence your property needs.

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