Hammersmith and Fulham Landlord Licensing: Which Licence Does Your Property Need?

Hammersmith and Fulham runs three overlapping property licensing schemes, and one in three homes in the borough is privately rented. If you let a residential property here, there's a good chance you need a licence — and the wrong guess about which one costs you the Part 1 processing fee and a fresh application.

The Three Schemes

Mandatory HMO licensing applies borough-wide. If your property is occupied by five or more people forming two or more households who share facilities like a kitchen or bathroom, you need a mandatory HMO licence. This is national law under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004, expanded in October 2018 to remove the old three-storey rule.

Additional HMO licensing also covers the entire borough. LBHF designated a borough-wide additional scheme running from 5 June 2022 to 4 June 2027. It catches shared properties occupied by three or four people from two or more households, plus purpose-built HMO flats and Section 257 converted flat buildings.

Selective licensing applies to non-HMO lets on 24 designated streets. If a single person, a couple, or two unrelated sharers rent a property on one of these roads, the landlord needs a selective licence. The same designation runs from 5 June 2022 to 4 June 2027.

How the Hierarchy Works

You can't choose between schemes based on the fee. A strict precedence applies:

1. Mandatory HMO licensing takes priority — five or more occupants from two or more households always need a mandatory licence
2. Additional HMO licensing comes next — three or four sharers from multiple households
3. Selective licensing is residual — single-household lets on the 24 designated streets

If you apply under the wrong scheme, LBHF rejects the application, keeps the non-refundable Part 1 fee, and you start again.

What It Costs

The standard mandatory HMO licence fee is £1,656, with an additional £183 charge per habitable room. Both the additional HMO and selective licences cost £755. All fees split into a Part 1 processing payment and a Part 2 enforcement payment. LBHF offers an £80 discount where the licence holder or manager is a member of an accredited landlord body such as the NRLA or the London Landlord Accreditation Scheme.

Common Mistakes

The most frequent error is overlooking the three-sharer threshold. Three unrelated people sharing a flat triggers the additional HMO scheme borough-wide — not just on the 24 selective streets. Another common trap: purpose-built flats in blocks of three or more self-contained units have their own rules. A five-person flat in such a block doesn't need a mandatory licence; it falls under additional licensing instead.

Section 257 buildings — conversions that did not comply with the Building Regulations in force at the time (the 1991 Regulations or later regulations) — are also caught by additional licensing. The freeholder or managing agent usually holds the licence, not the individual flat owners.

Next Steps

Start by confirming your property address against the 24 selective licensing streets, then count your tenants and map household relationships. Once you know which scheme applies, gather your documents and apply through LBHF's online portal.

For the full process — documents, fees, portal steps and licence conditions — see the Hammersmith and Fulham Landlord Licensing Guide.

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