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HMO licensing in Croydon
Croydon Council requires a mandatory licence for HMOs occupied by 5 or more people from 2 or more households. It also runs additional licensing (bringing smaller HMOs into licensing) and selective licensing (covering other privately rented homes in designated areas). The published licence fee starts at £1,475.
Mandatory licence
5+ people, 2+ households
National scheme
Additional / selective
Additional + Selective
Council-designated schemes
Licence fee
From £1,475
Decision time
Not published
Licensing schemes in Croydon
Croydon's Selective Licensing scheme for privately rented homes in 14 wards and its borough-wide Additional HMO Licensing scheme for smaller HMOs (3-4 occupants, 2+ households) came into force on 25 September 2026, with online applications open from that day. It is now a legal requirement to hold a selective or additional HMO licence for any qualifying property in Croydon.
- In force from
- 25 September 2026
Verified 12 October 2026
Licence fees
The published fee for a new HMO licence is £1,475. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.
The mandatory HMO licence fee is charged per habitable room: for a 5-year licence, £295 per room (Part A £177 payable at application, Part B £118 payable before the licence is issued), up to a stated maximum total of £5,907; a shorter 1-year licence (issued at the council's discretion) costs £201 per room (Part A £177 + Part B £24). An advisory pre-application visit costs £236. No discounts are published. The example total below (£1,475) is for a typical 5-habitable-room HMO on a 5-year licence (5 x £295); actual cost scales with room count. Separately, Croydon's Additional HMO Licensing scheme (fee £1,250 for a 5-year licence: Part A £750 + Part B £500, or £850 for a 1-year licence, with up to £250 of stackable discounts off Part B: £100 accredited landlord, £50 EPC B+, £100 ARLA/RICS/Safeagent) and Selective Licensing scheme (£800 total for a 5-year licence: Part A £480 + Part B £320, or £544 for a 1-year licence, with discounts off Part B for EPC B+/accredited landlord/ARLA-RICS-Safeagent and a £100 multi-dwelling discount off Part A on 2nd+ properties) came into force on 25 September 2026, confirmed on the council's own pages, so both scheme flags below are now true.
Check the current fee on the council website (croydon.gov.uk) before you apply.
Additional and selective licence fees
Fees for council-designated schemes are set separately from the mandatory HMO fee. Figures are the standard full-rate fee for a new licence, before any discounts.
Additional licence
£1,250
Additional HMO licence (3-4 occupants, 2+ households) for a 5-year licence, borough-wide, paid in two parts: £750 (Part A, on application) + £500 (Part B, on grant of licence)
Discounts off Part B: £50 for EPC B or above (total £1,200); £100 for an accredited landlord under LLAS/NRLA/UKALA (total £1,150); £100 for ARLA, RICS or Safeagent membership. A 1-year licence (issued at the council's discretion) costs £850 (£750 + £100). Discounts are not applied if the council has made 2 requests for additional documents or served a warning letter for failure to license.
Scheme: From 25 September 2026
Checked 12 October 2026 against croydon.gov.uk
Selective licence
£800
Selective licence for a single privately rented dwelling in one of the 14 designated wards, 5-year licence, paid in two parts: £480 (Part A, on application) + £320 (Part B, on grant of licence)
Discounts off Part B: £50 for EPC B or above (total £750); £100 for an accredited landlord under LLAS/NRLA/UKALA (total £700); £100 for ARLA, RICS or Safeagent membership. A £100 multi-dwelling discount applies off Part A for the 2nd and later properties of the same landlord (total £700). A 1-year licence (issued at the council's discretion) costs £544 (£480 + £64). Discounts are not applied if the council has made 2 requests for additional documents or served a warning letter for failure to license.
Scheme: From 25 September 2026
Checked 12 October 2026 against croydon.gov.uk
Minimum room sizes
| Single bedroom | 6.51 m² minimum floor area for one person over 10 (national statutory minimum; no Croydon-specific figure was located in official sources). |
|---|---|
| Double bedroom | 10.22 m² minimum floor area for two people over 10. |
| Child under 10 | 4.64 m² minimum; a room under 4.64 m² must never be used as sleeping accommodation. |
National minimums for licensed HMOs are 6.51 m² for one adult and 10.22 m² for two adults; councils can apply higher local standards.
Fire safety requirements
- Licensed mandatory HMOs must meet the national mandatory HMO licence conditions, including a working interlinked smoke alarm system appropriate to the property's layout and storeys.
- A current fire risk assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is required for the common parts of the HMO.
- Gas appliances require an annual Gas Safe safety check; electrical installations require an EICR at least every 5 years.
Kitchen, bathroom and amenity standards
- Bathroom, WC and kitchen provision must be adequate for the number of permitted occupants, assessed against the national mandatory conditions and HHSRS at inspection.
- No Croydon-specific published amenity standards document was located; the council applies the statutory national minimum conditions to mandatory HMOs.
Documents you will need
- Gas safety certificate (CP12) — Within the last 12 months for every gas appliance on the property.
- EICR — Electrical Installation Condition Report, dated within the last 5 years.
- EPC — Valid Energy Performance Certificate for the property.
Sources
Compiled from the council’s own published pages and documents; data reviewed September 2026. Rules and fees change, so always confirm with Croydon Council before applying. This is general information, not legal advice.