How Long Does It Take to Get a Landlord Licence in Havering?

Submitting a Havering landlord licence application and hearing nothing back is one of the most stressful parts of the process. You have paid the Part A fee, uploaded your documents, and now you are waiting — wondering whether the property is legally covered or whether you are exposed.

What "Duly Made" Means for Your Timeline

The moment Havering Council accepts your application as "duly made" — meaning all documents are uploaded, declarations completed, and the Part A fee paid — the property is treated as having a pending application under Sections 72(4) and 95(3) of the Housing Act 2004. A duly-made application provides a statutory defence to an unlicensed-operation offence while the council determines it.

This matters because processing is not instant. Havering's licensing team handles selective, additional HMO and mandatory HMO applications for thousands of private rented properties across all 20 wards. The practical turnaround depends on application volume, document completeness, and whether the council needs further information or a property inspection.

Typical Processing Stages

Havering uses a two-part fee structure that maps to two processing stages:

Stage 1 — Application assessment (Part A): The council verifies your identity, checks fit-and-proper declarations against enforcement records, reviews uploaded documents (gas safety certificate, EICR, EPC, floor plans, fire risk assessment for HMOs), and confirms the property falls within the correct licensing scheme. If required documents or declarations are missing, they issue an invalidation notice and halt processing until the issue is resolved.

Stage 2 — Draft licence and Part B payment: Once the assessment is complete, the council issues a Draft Licence Notice setting out the proposed conditions, maximum occupancy, and Part B fee. You pay Part B, and the final licence is granted.

There is no published statutory deadline for councils to process a licence application. Havering says that its large application volume can mean it takes longer than normal to issue a licence, but its published guidance does not give a standard turnaround. HMO applications and cases involving enforcement history, planning permission, or Section 257 converted buildings can require additional review.

What Slows Things Down

The most common delays are self-inflicted:

• Incomplete document uploads. A missing gas safety certificate or an EICR showing C1/C2 codes without remedial proof triggers an invalidation notice. The application does not progress until you fix and resubmit.
• Floor plans without dimensions. Havering requires room measurements in square metres, window positions, ceiling heights (any area below 1.5m excluded), and fire door locations. A sketch without measurements will be rejected.
• Missing stakeholder notifications. You must notify mortgage lenders, freeholders and joint owners in writing before submitting. The portal asks for a signed declaration confirming this was done.
• Paper applications. These add a £117.10 surcharge and inevitably take longer than online submissions.

How to Check Your Application Status

Havering's property licensing portal — separate from the standard "My Havering" council account — lets you manage your application. Log in with the credentials you used to apply and check the application record for status updates or outstanding queries.

If you need formal proof of your application status for a mortgage lender or a court, request a written confirmation of "duly made" status directly from the licensing team at [email protected] or 01708 432006.

Bear in mind that a property may not appear on the public register of licensed properties until the licence is formally granted — absence from the register does not mean the application has stalled.

Protecting Yourself During the Wait

A duly-made application provides the statutory defence described above while it remains effective. But if you let documents expire during processing — your gas safety certificate lapses, your EICR passes its five-year anniversary — you risk the council issuing conditions you cannot immediately meet or requesting updated documents before proceeding.

Keep every certificate current, respond to any council queries within the timeframe they specify, and treat the wait as an opportunity to make sure the property meets every licence condition before the inspector arrives.

Our Havering landlord licensing guide walks through the full application process — documents, fees, conditions and compliance tracking — so nothing falls through the cracks while you wait.

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