Newham Selective Licensing: What Every Private Landlord Needs to Know

If you rent out a residential property in Newham, there is a very high chance you need a licence from the council. Newham runs one of the most extensive property licensing regimes in England, and the penalties for letting without one are severe — civil fines of up to £40,000 under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 framework, prosecution with an unlimited fine, and tenants can claim back up to 24 months of rent through a Rent Repayment Order.

How Newham Selective Licensing Works

Selective licensing targets single-family rentals and properties with one or two unrelated sharers — the properties that fall below the HMO threshold. Under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004, Newham Council designated 21 of its 23 wards for selective licensing from 1 June 2023 through 31 May 2028. This is Newham's third consecutive five-year scheme.

Only two wards are excluded: Royal Victoria and Stratford Olympic Park. Every other ward — from Beckton to Wall End — requires a selective licence for any rented property that does not meet the HMO definition, subject to statutory exemptions.

If your property is occupied by a single person, a couple, a family, or two unrelated sharers, and it sits in one of those 21 wards, you need a selective licence.

Who Needs One

The licence requirement applies to the property, not the tenancy type. It does not matter whether you have a periodic tenancy, a former assured shorthold that has now converted to periodic under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, or a lodger arrangement. If no statutory exemption applies and the property is rented to tenants and occupied by fewer than three unrelated people forming separate households, it falls under selective licensing.

There are narrow statutory exemptions — housing association properties, properties managed by educational institutions, business tenancies under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, and holiday lets. But the vast majority of private rentals in Newham are covered.

What It Costs

Newham operates a two-part fee. Part A (£400) is normally non-refundable and paid when you submit the application. Part B (£350) is invoiced when the council approves the licence. Total: £750.

You can reduce the total with discounts: £50 off for accredited landlords (NRLA, LLAS, Propertymark, Safeagent, UKALA or BLA membership with at least 5 hours of training), and £50 off for properties with an EPC rating of A, B or C. Both discounts stack, bringing the potential total down to £650. But if Newham has already served you a "Failure to Licence Warning Letter," no discounts apply.

Newly rented properties with an EPC rating of C or better qualify for a reduced rate — £250 Part A and £150 Part B, totalling £400.

What Happens Without a Licence

Letting without a licence when one is required is a criminal offence under section 95 of the Housing Act 2004. Newham Council can issue a civil penalty of up to £40,000 per offence under section 249A of the Housing Act 2004, or prosecute with an unlimited fine; it cannot impose both for the same conduct. In a November 2024 case involving an unlicensed HMO in East Ham, Newham secured fines and costs of £63,977.19.

Tenants — or Newham Council itself on behalf of housing benefit paid — can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a Rent Repayment Order covering up to 24 months of rent. Separately, once PRS Database registration is required in a region, landlords must keep active landlord and property entries. The court generally cannot make a possession order while that duty is breached, except for Grounds 7A and 14. Regional registration opens on 15 December 2026 and rolls out through 14 November 2027.

The Application in Brief

Applications go through the My Newham online portal. You will need a Gas Safety Certificate less than 12 months old, a satisfactory EICR within five years, a valid EPC, an accurate floor plan with room dimensions in square metres, and your accreditation certificate if claiming the discount.

The portal walks through property details, occupant information, an interested-party disclosure for any mortgage lender or freeholder, the Fit and Proper Person declaration, document uploads and Part A payment. A statutory defence applies once Newham has received and verified the complete application and Part A fee as duly made, and while it remains pending; the submission receipt alone is not enough. Newham retains the £400 Part A fee if it rejects a deficient submission.

For a step-by-step walkthrough of the entire application — including the address check, document preparation worksheets and a post-grant compliance schedule — the Newham Landlord Licensing Guide covers every stage from ward verification to licence renewal.

Key Dates

The current selective licensing scheme runs until 31 May 2028. Licences can last up to five years from the date of issue, but the effect of the designation ending on licences that extend beyond that date depends on whether the scheme is renewed. Since December 2024, councils no longer need Secretary of State approval to renew selective licensing schemes, so there is every reason to expect Newham will continue the scheme beyond 2028.

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