Selective Licensing in Hainault, South Woodford, Cranbrook, Wanstead Village, and Loxford

Five More Wards Under Scheme 4

Hainault, South Woodford, Cranbrook, Wanstead Village, and Loxford are all part of Redbridge's Selective Licensing Scheme 4, in force since 8 April 2024 alongside ten other designated wards. Any privately rented property in these wards let to a single person, a couple, a family, or two unrelated individuals requires a selective licence, unless it forms part of a qualifying Section 257 converted block covered by an Additional HMO licence.

These five wards span very different parts of the borough. Hainault sits in the north-east with a mix of ex-council housing and family homes. South Woodford and Wanstead Village are in the western corner, traditionally lower-density areas with fewer rental properties. Cranbrook and Loxford sit closer to central Ilford, with high concentrations of converted terraces and flatted properties in the private rented sector.

What Changes by Ward

The licensing rules do not vary between wards — all 15 Scheme 4 wards share the same selective licensing requirements, the same fees, and the same application process. The only ward-level question is whether your property falls inside the designation boundary.

Five Redbridge wards remain exempt from selective licensing: Bridge, Clayhall, Fullwell, Monkhams, and Wanstead Park. If your property is in one of those wards and is let to a single household, no selective licence is needed. But HMO licensing still applies borough-wide — qualifying shared properties and Section 257 buildings need the appropriate HMO licence regardless of ward.

Checking Your Ward

For properties near boundary lines — and several streets run along the edges of Hainault, Cranbrook, and Loxford wards — the council's interactive Scheme 4 map is the definitive check. Enter the property's full postcode and select the specific address to confirm which ward the property sits in. The IG6 postcode, for example, covers parts of both Hainault and Barkingside, which are both Scheme 4 wards, but also touches Fullwell, which is exempt.

Do not rely on postcode alone for properties near ward boundaries. The council's ward map pins the property to a specific designation, which is what matters for licensing purposes.

Fees and Timeline

The fees are uniform across Scheme 4:

• Part A: £371.05 (non-refundable except for duplicate applications or legally exempt properties)
• Part B: £626.64 (standard) / £591.64 (with LLAS accreditation discount)
• Total: £997.69 / £962.69 accredited

Scheme 4 runs for five years from 8 April 2024. A landlord letting a licensable property without a valid licence or duly made application risks a civil penalty of up to £30,000. A Rent Repayment Order can recover up to 24 months' rent for qualifying offences committed on or after 1 May 2026.

Applying from These Wards

The application route is the same for all Scheme 4 wards — through the Redbridge online portal at propertylicensing.redbridge.gov.uk. You have 28 days from starting the application to complete all fields, upload documents, and pay the Part A fee.

The Redbridge Landlord Licensing Guide walks through the full application for selective and HMO licences, including the documents needed, the two-stage fee structure, and how to secure the £35 LLAS accreditation discount.

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