Lambeth Licence Renewal and Expiry Dates: When Each Scheme Ends

Lambeth runs three licensing schemes with different lifespans. Missing a renewal deadline can leave a property unlicensed — and since the Renters' Rights Act took effect on 1 May 2026, the penalties for operating without a licence have climbed to £40,000 per offence. Knowing which dates matter for your property is worth getting right.

Scheme Expiry Dates at a Glance

Each scheme has its own clock:

The date that catches most landlords off guard is the Additional HMO scheme expiry on 8 December 2026. That scheme covers borough-wide HMOs not subject to mandatory licensing, including HMOs with three or four people from two or more households and Section 257 converted blocks. When it lapses, those properties stop needing an additional licence — unless Lambeth consults on and designates a replacement scheme before that date.

Mandatory HMO licensing (five or more people from two or more households) is a permanent national requirement and has no expiry.

Individual Licence Duration

A standard property licence runs for five years from the date of issue. Lambeth can issue shorter licences of one to two years where the application was submitted late, the property has outstanding management issues, or the landlord applied only after enforcement contact.

Your individual licence expiry is independent of the scheme expiry. If Lambeth grants you a five-year selective licence in October 2026 under Phase 2, it runs until October 2031 — even though Phase 2 itself expires on 31 August 2030. After the scheme ends, no new selective licences are issued for those wards, but existing licences remain valid until their own expiry dates.

What Happens When a Scheme Expires

When a scheme reaches its expiry date, it lapses automatically. The council cannot extend it without running a fresh public consultation and issuing a new designation notice at least three months before the new scheme's start date.

For the Additional HMO scheme expiring on 8 December 2026:

• Existing additional HMO licences already issued continue until their individual expiry dates.
• No new additional HMO licence applications can be accepted after the scheme ends.
• If a landlord has not applied by the expiry date and the scheme is not renewed, those three-to-four-sharer properties will not need a licence (though mandatory HMO licensing still catches five-plus-person properties, and selective licensing catches single-household lets in designated wards).

If Lambeth does consult on and designate a replacement additional scheme, landlords will need to apply under the new designation — previous licences do not carry over automatically.

When to Start the Renewal Process

There is no formal "renewal" application in Lambeth's system. When a licence approaches its expiry, you submit a fresh application through the Metastreet portal with current documents. Start gathering updated certificates — a new EICR if the existing one is near its five-year limit, a current gas safety certificate, a fresh Land Registry title deed dated within 28 days — at least 60 days before your licence expires.

Submitting a complete ("duly made") application before your current licence expires gives you a statutory defence against unlicensed operation while the new application is pending. Letting the licence lapse without a pending application removes that protection.

For the full renewal timeline and document checklist, the Lambeth Landlord Licensing Guide maps every step from certificate gathering to portal submission.

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