Lewisham Property Licence Interested Parties: Who to Notify and How

One of the most confusing steps in a Lewisham property licence application is the interested party notification requirement. Before you submit through the MetaStreet portal, you must notify every relevant person under regulation 7 of the Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation and Other Houses (Miscellaneous Provisions) (England) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/373), as required for applications under sections 63 or 87 of the Housing Act 2004 — and confirm in the portal that you have done so.

Make sure your notification is accurate and keep evidence of who you notified and when.

Who Counts as an Interested Party

Regulation 7 of the 2006 regulations defines the relevant persons to notify for a Lewisham property licence application:

• The freeholder — if you are a leaseholder, the person or entity that owns the freehold
• Any head lessor — anyone who holds a superior lease between you and the freeholder
• Mortgage lenders — any bank, building society or lender holding a charge on the property
• Any tenant or long leaseholder of the property or any part of it, except a tenant whose lease has three years or less left to run
• Any person who will be subject to a restriction or obligation under a proposed licence condition

In practice, for a typical single-property landlord this usually means your mortgage lender and, if you hold a leasehold, the freeholder or head lessor. Include a managing agent or another person where they meet the relevant-person criteria above.

What the Notice Must Contain

The notification must include the particulars set out in regulation 7(5):

• Your name and contact details, and the proposed licence holder's details if different
• The type of licence application (Part 2 HMO or Part 3 property licence)
• The address of the property
• The name and address of Lewisham Council
• The date the application is, or is to be, made

The regulations prescribe the information to provide, rather than a separate notice template. Follow Lewisham's current instructions for how to send it, and keep a copy with evidence of when it was sent.

Common Mistakes

Forgetting the mortgage lender. Many landlords assume the notification only covers other occupants or co-owners. If you have a mortgage on the property, the lender is an interested party and must be notified. This includes buy-to-let mortgages.

Not notifying the freeholder. Leasehold flat owners applying for a licence often overlook the freeholder or a freehold management company that manages the property.

Declaring service before actually sending the notice. The MetaStreet portal asks you to confirm that the required people have been notified. Make sure the declaration matches the notifications you actually sent.

Using the wrong address. Send the notice to the lender's or freeholder's registered address for correspondence, not a branch office or generic website contact form.

When to Serve the Notice

Serve the notices before you submit the application. The portal asks you to declare that all interested parties have been notified — you cannot complete submission without this confirmation. There is no statutory minimum notice period before submitting. Giving recipients 14 days' advance notice is a courtesy that gives them time to review the planned application; they can make formal representations after the council sends the draft licence and Notice of Intention.

What Happens After You Notify

In most cases, nothing. Mortgage lenders rarely object to licensing applications, and freeholders of large blocks typically have a standard process for acknowledging them. The council later sends relevant persons a draft licence and considers representations before making its decision; the council, not an interested party, decides whether to grant the licence.

If you are unsure who holds the freehold or whether another charge exists on the property, an online title register from HM Land Registry costs £7 and shows the registered proprietor and any registered charges.

For the full application process, including the document requirements and fee structure, the Lewisham licensing guide covers every step from account creation to licence grant.

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