Islington Selective Licensing Wards and Map: Which Areas Need a Licence

Two Separate Schemes, Ten Wards Total

Islington doesn't run one selective licensing scheme — it runs two, designated at different times and covering different parts of the borough.

Scheme 1 (2024) took effect on 20 May 2024 and runs until May 2029. It covers three wards:

• Finsbury Park
• Hillrise
• Tollington

Scheme 2 (2026) is due to take effect on 23 November 2026 and runs until 22 November 2031. Applications opened on 7 September 2026, ahead of the commencement date. It covers seven wards:

• Barnsbury
• Caledonian
• Highbury
• Junction
• Laycock
• Mildmay
• Tufnell Park

That leaves seven wards with no selective licensing at all: Arsenal, Bunhill, Canonbury, Clerkenwell, Holloway, St Mary's & St James', and St Peter's & Canalside. If your property is in one of these wards, selective licensing doesn't apply to it — though the borough-wide HMO licensing schemes still do if you're letting to three or more people from separate households.

How to Check Your Address

Ward boundaries in Islington frequently split individual streets. A property on one side of a road can sit in a designated ward while the property directly opposite sits in an undesignated one. Postcodes aren't reliable — the same postcode can straddle two wards.

The only dependable method is the council's GIS-based address lookup tool on the property licensing portal at propertylicensing.islington.gov.uk. Search using the exact flat number, building name, street number, and full postcode. The tool confirms which ward the property falls in and whether selective licensing applies.

Don't rely on letting agent descriptions, electoral roll summaries, or third-party postcode checkers for the definitive answer. Ward boundaries at house-number level need the council's own data.

What Selective Licensing Actually Covers

Selective licensing targets non-HMO rental properties — homes let to a single person, a couple, a single family, or two unrelated sharers. If the property qualifies as an HMO (three or more unrelated people forming two or more households), the HMO licence takes priority and exempts the property from needing a selective licence on top.

The fee is a flat £850 per property, split into Part A (£450 at application) and Part B (£400 on grant). Discounts of up to £150 are available against Part B: £75 for recognized landlord accreditation, £50 for an EPC rated A, B, or C, and £25 for a gapless renewal.

What Happens After the Scheme Expires

When a five-year scheme reaches its end date, existing licences granted under it remain valid until their individual expiry dates. If the council renews the scheme (as it did with the additional HMO scheme in February 2026), you'll need to re-apply before your current licence expires to keep continuous compliance.

A gap without a valid new application creates exposure to civil penalties of up to £40,000 per offence. For qualifying offences committed on or after 1 May 2026, a rent repayment order can cover up to 24 months of gross rent.

For a full walkthrough of the application process, documents, fees, and post-grant conditions across all Islington licensing schemes, the Islington Landlord Licensing Guide covers everything in one place.

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