How to Avoid Losing the £400 Part A Fee on a Newham Licensing Application

One costly mistake a landlord can make in Newham is paying the Part A processing fee, having an application refused for deficient information and needing to submit again. The standard Part A fee is £400 for selective and additional HMO licences and £450 for mandatory HMO licences; Newham retains it when it refuses an application. Its published policy provides full refunds for applications made in error for non-licensable or exempt properties, or for duplicate payments. Missing required documents can lead to refusal and retention of Part A.

The way to avoid this is straightforward: prepare the entire application offline, verify every document and field against the council's requirements, and treat the live My Newham portal session as a transcription exercise rather than a research exercise. The Landlord Licensing in Newham guide is built around exactly this approach — a pre-flight system that walks you through every check before you touch the portal.

Why the Part A Fee Catches So Many Landlords

Newham splits standard licensing fees into two stages. Part A (£400 for selective and additional HMO, £450 for mandatory HMO) is the processing fee, paid when you submit the application. Part B (£350 for selective, £850 for additional HMO, and £950 or more for mandatory HMO) is paid after the council decides to grant a licence and issues its notice of intent. If the council refuses an application, it retains Part A; full refunds are listed for applications made in error for non-licensable or exempt properties, or for duplicate payments.

The council does not offer a "save and return" function that reliably preserves a half-finished application. Landlords who start the portal form, realise they're missing a document, close the browser and come back later sometimes find the session expired and the form wiped. The pressure to complete the submission in one session, combined with the Part A fee at stake, is what leads to rushed, error-prone applications.

The Five Errors That Can Cost the Part A Fee

Based on the council's published requirements and reports from landlord forums, five errors account for the majority of rejected applications:

1. Applying Under the Wrong Scheme

Newham runs three licensing schemes and their designation areas overlap. A property with three unrelated occupants in a designated ward needs an additional HMO licence, not a selective licence. Applying under the wrong scheme risks refusal and retention of Part A; the council's published policy provides refunds for applications made in error for non-licensable or exempt properties, or duplicate payments. Do not assume a Part A payment transfers to a different application; the fee schedule lists each scheme and a separate change-of-type fee.

2. Expired or Missing Safety Certificates

The portal requires a current Gas Safety Certificate (CP12), a valid 5-year Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) and an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). "Current" means the certificate's expiry date has not passed at the time of submission. A certificate that expires next week is technically valid today — but if the council's processing queue means they review the application after the expiry date, they may request an updated certificate and delay the application.

3. Incorrect or Missing Room Measurements

Additional HMO and mandatory HMO applications require room dimensions in square metres for every habitable room. Selective licence applications may also request room measurements depending on the property type. Landlords who estimate dimensions, provide measurements in square feet, or omit rooms the council considers habitable (such as a converted loft or basement) face requests for correction that delay the application.

4. Incomplete Fit-and-Proper Person Declaration

Every applicant (and every named manager) must complete the fit-and-proper person declaration. This includes disclosing relevant criminal convictions, any prior refusal of a licence by any local authority, and any connection to a property where an improvement notice, prohibition order or emergency remedial action has been served. Omitting a required disclosure — even unintentionally — is grounds for refusal.

5. Wrong Fee Amount

The fee depends on the scheme and property type. Recognised accreditation and an EPC rating of A+, A, B or C can each qualify the licence holder for a £50 discount; newly private rented properties with EPC C+ have separate reduced fee tiers. Newham says discounts cannot be claimed retrospectively after payment, so verify the applicable category and amount before submitting.

The Pre-Flight Approach

The common thread in all five errors is that the landlord was working things out during the live portal session instead of before it. A pre-flight approach separates preparation from submission:

Step 1: Ward and scheme verification. Confirm which of Newham's 23 wards the property sits in using the postcode, then determine whether the property needs a selective, additional HMO or mandatory HMO licence based on occupancy.

Step 2: Document audit. Gather every required certificate and check its expiry date, format and content against the portal's requirements. The EICR must be satisfactory (not just "observations"); the EPC must be in the correct property's name.

Step 3: Room measurement. Measure every habitable room in square metres, using a laser measure for accuracy. Record the figures on a worksheet so you can transcribe them into the portal without converting or estimating.

Step 4: Fee calculation. Look up the exact Part A and Part B amounts for your scheme and property type, apply any applicable discounts (accreditation, EPC rating), and confirm the total before you begin.

Step 5: Declaration preparation. Complete the fit-and-proper person declaration offline, including any management arrangements if you use a managing agent. Review the disclosure questions and confirm you can answer them accurately.

Step 6: Portal session. Open the My Newham portal, create or log in to your account, and work through the application form by copying from your completed worksheets. Every answer is already verified. The session should take 30–60 minutes.

The Landlord Licensing in Newham guide includes printable worksheets for each of these steps — ward verification, document audit, room measurements, fee calculator, compliance log and renewal tracker — so you can work through the preparation over several evenings and come to the portal ready.

Who This Is For

• Landlords applying for a Newham property licence for the first time
• Anyone who had a previous application rejected and wants to understand what went wrong
• Self-managing landlords preparing a renewal application and wanting to avoid a repeat error
• HMO landlords unsure whether they need a selective, additional or mandatory licence
• Landlords who found Newham's official pages difficult to navigate in a single session

Who This Is NOT For

• Landlords who have already submitted a successful application and know the portal well
• Portfolio landlords using a specialist compliance service that handles applications
• Properties in Royal Victoria or Stratford Olympic Park wards (currently excluded from selective and additional licensing designations)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Part A fee really non-refundable even if the council rejects my application?

Newham's fee policy says Part A is retained when the council refuses an application, including for deficient information. It lists full refunds for applications made in error for non-licensable or exempt properties, or for duplicate payments. A missing document can lead to refusal and retention of Part A.

Can I call the council to check my application before submitting?

The council's Property Licensing Group accepts emails and phone calls for general licensing enquiries, but they explicitly state they cannot assist with My Newham portal technical issues. They will answer broad questions about which scheme applies, but they will not pre-review a draft application or confirm that your documents are sufficient before submission.

What if I realise I selected the wrong scheme after paying Part A?

Contact the council's Property Licensing Team immediately. Its published fee policy says Part A is retained if an application is refused, and lists full refunds for applications made in error for non-licensable or exempt properties, or for duplicate payments. The fee schedule does not promise that a payment can be transferred to a different scheme, so verify the correct scheme and fee before submitting.

How long does Newham take to process an application?

Processing times vary. Straightforward selective licence applications are typically processed faster than additional or mandatory HMO applications, which require more detailed property assessments. The council does not publish guaranteed timescales. During busy periods or after a new designation comes into force, processing backlogs of several months are common.

Does the guide guarantee my application will be approved?

No guide or agent can guarantee approval — that's the council's decision based on the fit-and-proper person test and property standards. What the guide does is ensure your application is submitted correctly with the right documents under the right scheme, so the applicable Part A fee is not wasted on a preventable administrative rejection.

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