LBHF HMO Licence: Mandatory and Additional Schemes Explained

Every HMO in Hammersmith and Fulham with three or more occupants from two or more households who share facilities needs a licence. Whether it falls under the mandatory or the additional scheme depends on the number of people, the number of households, and the type of building.

Mandatory HMO Licensing

This is national law, not a local scheme. Any property in LBHF occupied by five or more people forming two or more households and sharing a kitchen, bathroom, or toilet needs a mandatory HMO licence. The October 2018 expansion removed the old three-storey test, so ground-floor flats and bungalows are caught too.

There is one important exception: a purpose-built flat inside a block of three or more self-contained flats does not need a mandatory licence, even with five occupants. It falls under the additional scheme instead.

The standard mandatory HMO licence fee is £1,656, with an additional £183 charge per habitable room. The fee splits 25/75 between Part 1 (processing, £414) and Part 2 (enforcement, £1,242).

Additional HMO Licensing

LBHF's borough-wide additional HMO licensing scheme runs from 5 June 2022 to 4 June 2027. It covers:

• Shared houses or flats with three or four occupants from two or more households
• Purpose-built HMO flats in blocks of three or more self-contained units (including those with five or more occupants)
• Section 257 HMOs — buildings converted into flats where the conversion did not comply with the Building Regulations in force at the time (the 1991 Regulations or later regulations) and less than two-thirds of the flats are owner-occupied

The fee is £755, split evenly between Part 1 and Part 2.

Section 257 Buildings

These catch out landlords regularly. If you own or manage a converted building where the conversion did not comply with the Building Regulations in force at the time (the 1991 Regulations or later regulations), and less than two-thirds of the flats are owner-occupied, the whole building counts as an HMO under Section 257. The licence duty falls on whoever manages or controls the block — usually the freeholder or the block management company, not the individual flat landlords.

Individual flats inside a Section 257 building that are on one of the 24 selective streets may also need their own selective licence, unless the building is licensed as an additional HMO.

How Household Counting Works

Under the Housing Act 2004, a "household" means people who are all members of the same family: married or civil-partnered couples, cohabiting partners, and blood relatives. Two friends sharing a flat form two separate households. Three friends form three households — and that triggers the additional scheme.

A couple plus one friend is two households (the couple is one, the friend is another). A couple plus two friends is three households, and that's still additional licensing. Five separate individuals are five households, pushing the property into mandatory territory.

Licence Duration and Renewal

Standard HMO licences run for five years. LBHF can issue shorter terms — one or two years — if the property has minor defects or the landlord has a compliance history. The additional scheme itself expires on 4 June 2027, but a licence granted before that date runs its full term regardless.

For the full application process, documents, and conditions, see the Hammersmith and Fulham Landlord Licensing Guide.

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