HMO licensing in Havering

The published fee for a new HMO licence is £1,329, and £1,329 to renew. Fees can depend on the number of occupants or lettings, and they are reviewed each year.

The fee shown here is for a Mandatory HMO licence (5+ occupants from 2+ households, national scheme), which is levied in two parts and scaled by number of lettings/rooms: 5 lettings £1,063 (Part A) + £266 (Part B) = £1,329; 6-9 lettings £1,224.30 + £306 = £1,530.30; 10-14 lettings £1,404.20 + £351 = £1,755.20; 15-19 lettings £1,553 + £388.10 = £1,941.10; 20+ lettings £1,704 + £426 = £2,130. No discounts apply to Mandatory HMO fees. Part A is payable on submission and covers processing/validation; Part B is payable once the Council decides to grant the licence. Licences run for 5 years and cover the property at the maximum occupancy stated on the licence. Havering also runs separate Additional HMO licensing (3-4 occupant HMOs, borough-wide, in force 18 March 2026 to 17 March 2031) at £840 (Part A) + £560 (Part B) = £1,400 total, and Selective licensing (1-2 unrelated occupants/single households in 7 designated wards, same dates) at £570 (Part A) + £380 (Part B) = £950 total. Additional and Selective licences qualify for discounts: £75 off Part B for EPC rating C or above, £100 off Part B for an accredited landlord, and £100 off Part A for a multi-dwelling (2nd/3rd flat etc. in the same building under common ownership). A renewal or re-application following revocation is treated as a new application and charged at the standard rate (no discount for renewing).

Check the current fee on the council website (havering.gov.uk) before you apply.

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.

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.

• A fire risk assessment must be carried out to identify general fire precautions needed to comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005; larger HMOs need an up-to-date assessment by a competent person.
• Hard-wired, mains-operated, interlinked smoke alarms with battery backup are required on every storey with living accommodation, sited away from steam, with condition/positioning declared to the Council on request or within 28 days, in line with LACORS housing fire safety guidance.
• A carbon monoxide alarm is required in any room used wholly or partly as living accommodation that contains a solid fuel burning combustion appliance.
• HMOs must have a fire blanket and a mains-powered heat detector in the kitchen, and the internal kitchen door should be fire-rated.
• Fire-fighting equipment, fire alarm systems and emergency lighting must be maintained in good working order, with periodic inspection/test certificates provided to the Council within 28 days of a request.
• Furniture and furnishings supplied by the landlord (including upholstery, cushions and pillows) must comply with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire)(Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended), with a safety declaration available on request.

• One full set of cooking facilities (cooker, sink/drainer, worktop, storage, sockets) is required per 5 sharers where lettings do not have their own kitchen; larger HMOs (8-10 persons) need an additional full set or extra facilities in larger individual lettings.
• Bathroom/WC provision scales with occupancy: 1-4 occupants need 1 bath with wash-hand basin (WC may be in the same room); 5 occupants need a separate WC with WHB; 6-10 occupants need 2 bathrooms and 2 WCs (one in its own compartment with a WHB). Dwellings with over 5 occupants must have a WC separate from the bathroom.
• Properties must be capable of being heated to 21°C in living areas and 18°C in bedrooms when it is -1°C outside, with heating controllable by occupants (timer/thermostat) and an EPC rating of at least E; bath/shower rooms must be adequately heated and ventilated (electric bar heaters not permitted).
• All gas appliances must have a current Gas Safe safety certificate renewed annually, and the electrical installation must be inspected and tested (EICR) by a qualified person at least every 5 years under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations (England) 2020.
• The licence holder must provide adequately sized bins/recycling containers and comply with any Council scheme for storage and disposal of household waste; no refuse may be kept in the front or rear garden other than in an approved storage container.
• The licence holder must proactively address pest infestations with a documented treatment programme, and carry out and log property inspections (at least every 3 months for HMO/additional licences, every 6 months for selective licences).

• Gas safety certificate (CP12) — Must be less than 12 months old, issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer, displayed in common parts and given to tenants at the start of their tenancy.
• EICR — Electrical Installation Condition Report for the fixed installation, usually valid for 5 years, issued by a competent registered engineer under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector Regulations (England) 2020.
• EPC — Valid Energy Performance Certificate required where new tenancies have been issued since 1 October 2008; not required where individual rooms are let with shared kitchen/bathroom facilities.
• Tenancy deposit protection evidence — Evidence that any deposit taken under an assured shorthold tenancy is held in a government-backed scheme (DPS, mydeposits or TDS), with prescribed information given to the tenant within 30 days.
• Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm declaration — A declaration of the condition and positioning of interlinked smoke alarms (every storey) and carbon monoxide alarms (rooms with solid fuel appliances), per LACORS fire safety guidance.
• Fit and proper person declaration — Declaration confirming no relevant unspent convictions (fraud, violence, drugs, sexual offences), no unlawful discrimination, and no breaches of housing/landlord-tenant law.
• Planning use class evidence (where applicable) — Evidence of C4 (3-6 occupant HMO) or Sui Generis (7+ occupants) planning use class, or of an applicable Article 4 Direction, where the property's use has changed - the licence is not proof of planning consent and is still required even without it.

• havering.gov.uk
• havering.gov.uk
• havering.gov.uk
• democracy.havering.gov.uk
• havering.gov.uk
• consultation.havering.gov.uk

Compiled from the council’s own published pages and documents; data reviewed September 2026. Rules and fees change, so always confirm with London Borough of Havering before applying. This is general information, not legal advice.