How to Apply for a Newham Property Licence: Step-by-Step

Newham's online portal is the standard route for property licence applications — paper applications are also accepted but attract a £100 surcharge. The portal itself is straightforward once you know what to prepare, but going in without your documents ready risks session timeouts, rejected uploads and a lost Part A fee. Here is the full process.

Before You Start: Gather Your Documents

The portal does not save incomplete drafts well, so have everything ready before you log in. You will need:

• Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) — issued within the last 12 months, showing a satisfactory result for all appliances, flues and pipework
• Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) — dated within five years, with an overall satisfactory result (all C1, C2 and FI defects resolved)
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) — valid (up to 10 years), rated A to E. Rating A to C qualifies for the £50 Warmer Homes discount
• Floor plan — showing every room with its use labelled, exact floor area in square metres, ceiling heights and fire alarm locations. For HMOs, bedroom dimensions must meet statutory minimums (6.51 m² single, 10.22 m² double)
• Accreditation certificate — if claiming the £50 discount, from NRLA, LLAS, BLA, Propertymark, Safeagent or UKALA (minimum 5-hour course, held by the proposed licence holder, not just the agent)
• Tenancy agreement — a copy of the current periodic tenancy or written statement of terms

All documents should be clear PDF or image scans.

Step 1: Create Your My Newham Account

Go to newham.gov.uk/propertylicensing and register with a verified email address. The portal sends an authentication link — check spam if it does not arrive promptly.

Step 2: Enter the Property Address

Type your postcode and select the exact address. The portal cross-references this against the council's ward boundary database to determine which licensing scheme applies. If you are in one of the 21 designated wards, it will confirm the property needs a licence. If you are in Royal Victoria or Stratford Olympic Park, only mandatory HMO licensing applies.

Step 3: Select the Correct Scheme

Choose Selective, Additional HMO or Mandatory HMO. The portal checks your occupant numbers against the scheme rules. If you pick the wrong one — say, selective for a three-person HMO — the system will flag it. Getting this right before you start avoids backtracking.

Step 4: Identify Roles

Enter details for the proposed licence holder, the property manager (if different) and the property owner. If the licence holder is a company, you will need director details. Overseas owners need a UK-based managing agent with full operational control — the licence holder must be UK-resident or represented by someone who is.

Step 5: Interested Party Notices

Provide contact details for mortgage lenders, freeholders and joint owners. The portal dispatches automated legal disclosure notices to these parties.

Step 6: Upload Documents

Upload your Gas Safety Certificate, EICR, EPC, floor plan and any accreditation certificates. Check file readability before submitting — the portal runs a basic validation check, but a blurry scan can still cause the council to query the application later.

Step 7: Fit and Proper Person Declaration

You must declare whether the proposed licence holder or any associate has unspent convictions for fraud, violence, drugs or sexual offences; findings of unlawful discrimination; prior civil penalties or judgments for housing law breaches; or involvement with properties subject to management orders or licence refusals. A failed Fit and Proper test means the licence is either refused or issued for one year only.

Step 8: Pay the Part A Fee

Submit the Part A processing fee by card — £400 for selective and additional HMO, £450 for mandatory HMO (varies by property size). Part A is normally non-refundable, with refunds in limited cases such as applications submitted in error or duplicate payments. You will receive a submission receipt and reference number.

What Happens Next

Once Newham has received and verified the complete application and Part A fee as duly made, it provides a statutory defence against prosecution for operating without a licence (under sections 72(4) and 95(3) of the Housing Act 2004) while pending. The submission receipt alone is not a licence — it does not approve planning status and does not exempt you from HHSRS enforcement.

The council reviews your application and, if satisfied, sends a Notice of Intent to grant the licence. You then pay the Part B fee (£350 for selective, £850 for additional HMO, £950+ for mandatory HMO). Failure to pay Part B means the application is refused and the Part A fee is kept.

For a complete pre-flight preparation system — including offline document checklists, room dimension worksheets and a post-grant compliance schedule — see the Newham Landlord Licensing Guide.

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