How to Apply for a Lewisham Property Licence: Step-by-Step Portal Guide

Every Lewisham property licence — selective, additional HMO or mandatory HMO — is submitted through the same online portal. The process is digital end to end, and there is no paper form. Here is what to expect at each stage.

Before You Start

Gather everything before you open the portal. Once you start an application, draft data is saved but incomplete submissions do not count as "duly made" — you have no legal protection until the Part A fee is paid and the submission is complete.

You will need:

• A valid email address for the account
• The property's full postcode (the portal pulls the exact address from the gazetteer)
• Compliance documents in PDF format: EICR, gas safety certificate, EPC, and for HMOs: fire risk assessment, fire alarm certificate, emergency lighting certificate and floor plans
• Full legal names and service addresses for all interested parties: freeholders, leaseholders, mortgage lenders, managing agents
• A debit or credit card for the Part A fee

Step 1 — Create a MetaStreet Account

Go to lewisham.metastreet.co.uk and register. The portal is run by MetaStreet, not the council website directly. You will need a separate account even if you already have a Lewisham council login.

Step 2 — Identify the Property

Enter the property postcode. The portal pulls addresses from the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG), so select the exact match from the dropdown. The system uses this to determine the ward boundary and initial scheme scope.

If the address does not appear, the property may be newly built or missing from the gazetteer. Contact the Private Sector Housing Agency ([email protected]) to get it added before you can proceed.

Step 3 — Enter Occupancy and Party Details

Declare the total number of occupants, total households, room count and spatial layout. This determines which scheme the application falls under.

Enter details for all interested parties: anyone with a legal interest in the property, including the proposed licence holder, freeholder (if leasehold), any head lessor, mortgage lender and managing agent. Each entry needs a full legal name, service address, email and phone number.

Step 4 — Upload Documents

Attach all required certificates as PDFs. The portal accepts individual file uploads per document type. Double-check:

• EICR: must show a "Satisfactory" result. C1 and C2 observations must be rectified before submission — an EICR with outstanding C1/C2 codes will be rejected.
• Gas safety certificate: must be less than 12 months old on the date of submission, not the date of the inspection.
• EPC: valid (10-year life) and meeting the minimum E rating.
• HMO-specific documents: fire risk assessment, fire alarm certificate (BS 5839 Part 6), emergency lighting certificate (BS 5266 Part 1 where complex escape routes exist), floor plans showing room areas in square metres.

An expired or invalid document is the single most common reason for application rejection — and Part A is non-refundable for refusals based on incomplete documents.

Step 5 — Serve Interested Party Notices

Before you submit, you must serve written notice of the licence application on every interested party: mortgage lender, freeholder, head lessor, joint owners. This is a statutory requirement under the Housing Act 2004.

The portal includes a declaration confirming you have served these notices. Complete it after the notices have been served.

Step 6 — Pay Part A and Submit

Review the application summary, then pay the Part A fee by card:

• Selective licence: £160
• Additional or mandatory HMO licence: £250 per lettable unit

Once payment clears, the application is "duly made." This status matters: while the council processes your application, you are protected from prosecution for unlicensed letting under section 72 or section 95 of the Housing Act 2004.

What Happens After Submission

The council reviews documents, runs a fit-and-proper check on the proposed licence holder, and may arrange an inspection. Processing times vary — forum reports suggest several months is common, and the council's administrative backlog in London boroughs is well-documented.

When the council decides to grant the licence, it issues a Notice of Intent alongside a draft licence. You then pay the Part B fee (£480 for selective, £250 per unit for HMOs), and the final licence is formally issued.

Tracking Your Application

The MetaStreet portal shows the current status of your application. A "duly made" application sitting in processing is normal. If you have not heard anything after several months, contact the Private Sector Housing Agency for an update — but note that a pending application still gives you legal protection.

For the complete document checklist, fee breakdown and post-grant compliance conditions, the Lewisham Landlord Licensing Guide covers the entire process from address check through to licence renewal.

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