Havering Landlord Licence Application Portal: How to Submit Online Step by Step

A Separate Portal, Not "My Havering"

The first thing that catches people: Havering's Property Licensing Portal is a standalone system. It's not part of the regular "My Havering" council account you might use for council tax or bin collections. You need to register a new, separate account specifically for property licensing.

One portal account manages all your rental properties. If you own multiple lets in the borough, you don't need separate accounts — you submit and track each application from the same login.

The Application Workflow

1. Register Your Portal Account

Create your account at Havering's Property Licensing Portal. You'll need a valid email address and contact details. This is a one-time setup — subsequent applications use the same account.

2. Enter the Property Address

Input the property's full address and run the system's boundary check. This confirms which ward the property falls in and which licensing scheme applies. Don't skip this step, even if you think you know the answer — the portal's address lookup is the authoritative source for ward classification under the post-May 2022 boundaries.

3. Fill In Stakeholder Details

Enter complete contact details for the applicant, the proposed licence holder, the property owner, and any managing agent. If the owner is a limited company, the application must name the corporate entity as the licence holder, along with company registration details, registered office address, and a designated responsible director.

Overseas owners cannot serve as sole licence holders. They must appoint a UK-resident managing agent who accepts legal liability for licence condition compliance.

4. Complete the Fit and Proper Declarations

Every individual named on the application must complete statutory background disclosures. These cover criminal convictions (fraud, dishonesty, violence, drugs, sexual offences), housing enforcement history, discrimination findings, Banning Orders, and insolvency.

Don't rush through these. Incomplete or inaccurate declarations can lead to licence refusal and trigger fit-and-proper-person concerns on future applications.

5. Upload Your Documents

Attach all required compliance documentation: Gas Safety Certificate, EICR, EPC, dimensioned floor plans, smoke and CO alarm evidence, fire risk assessment (for HMOs), tenancy agreements, and anti-social behaviour policy. Every document must be current and legible.

6. Confirm Interested Party Notifications

Declare that you've formally notified all relevant parties — mortgage lender, freeholder, joint owners, superior leaseholder — in writing. The portal requires this confirmation before allowing submission.

7. Pay Part A

Pay the non-refundable application processing fee online. This is when your application becomes legally "duly made" — only after all documents are uploaded, declarations completed, and Part A paid.

Part A fees: £570 (selective), £840 (additional HMO), £1,063+ (mandatory HMO).

8. Wait for Council Assessment

Housing officers review your submission, verify documents, inspect floor plans, and assess fit-and-proper declarations. Processing times vary — straightforward applications with complete documentation move faster than those requiring follow-up. The council will issue a Draft Licence Notice once they're satisfied.

9. Pay Part B and Receive the Licence

Once you receive the draft licence, pay the Part B grant fee (minus any discounts you qualified for at submission). The council then issues your final property licence, valid for up to five years.

Common Portal Pitfalls

Submitting before documents are ready. Starting an application and paying Part A without all certificates uploaded doesn't reserve your place — it triggers an invalidation notice and delays everything.

Paper applications. If you can't use the portal, paper forms are available by contacting the council at 01708 432006 or 01708 432777, or [email protected]. But paper submissions add a £117.10 surcharge to the total fee.

Shared portal credentials. Joint owners or agents can't share a single login. If an agent is submitting on behalf of the owner, formal authority-to-act documentation must be uploaded.

The "Duly Made" Protection

Submitting a complete application and paying Part A gives you "duly made" status under Sections 72(4) and 95(3) of the Housing Act 2004. This is your statutory defence — it means you can continue letting the property while the council processes the application, without being exposed to prosecution for unlicensed operation.

The Havering Landlord Licensing guide includes the complete portal submission workflow with a pre-upload document checklist, so you can verify everything is in order before paying the non-refundable Part A fee.

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