Islington has 3 discretionary licensing schemes on our record: additional HMO licensing (in force), selective licensing (in force), selective licensing (starts 23 Nov 2026). Mandatory HMO licensing applies everywhere in England to HMOs with 5 or more people in 2 or more households.
Selective: yesAdditional HMO: yesMandatory HMO: alwaysChecked 28 Sep 2026
| Area covered | Whole council area |
|---|---|
| Runs | 1 Feb 2026 to 31 Jan 2031 |
| Fee | £1,400 (Part A £500 + Part B £900) £900 + £100 per letting (5 lettings shown), cap 21 lettings; s257 £800 per building |
| Discounts | £75 accredited; £50 EPC A-C; £25 renewal (off Part B) |
Council licensing page Public register
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Area covered | Listed wards only (3 wards) |
|---|---|
| Runs | 20 May 2024 to 19 May 2029 |
| Fee | £850 (Part A £450 + Part B £400) per property |
| Discounts | £75 accredited; £50 EPC A-C; £25 renewal |
Finsbury Park · Tollington · Hillrise
Ward or street lists can split a road. Use the council's own address checker or designation map before relying on this list.
Council licensing page Public register
Note from our check: start inferred from revocation notice date; one line of the page wrongly says "Finsbury Park, Mildmay and Tollington"
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Area covered | Listed wards only (7 wards) |
|---|---|
| Designation made | 21 Aug 2026 |
| Runs | 23 Nov 2026 to 22 Nov 2031 |
| Fee | £850 (Part A £450 + Part B £400) per property (current fees doc) |
Barnsbury · Caledonian · Highbury · Junction · Laycock · Mildmay · Tufnell Park
Ward or street lists can split a road. Use the council's own address checker or designation map before relying on this list.
Council licensing page Designation notice Public register
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Date | What | Scheme | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Nov 2026 in 56 days | scheme start | Selective licensing | council |
| 19 May 2029 estimated (start + 5 years) in 964 days | scheme end | Selective licensing | council |
| 31 Jan 2031 estimated (start + 5 years) in 1586 days | scheme end | Additional HMO licensing | council |
| 22 Nov 2031 estimated (start + 5 years) in 1881 days | scheme end | Selective licensing | council |
Want a reminder before a deadline? Use the form at the bottom of this page and pick "Email me before my deadlines".
Whatever the local schemes, a licence is required for any house in multiple occupation let to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. This rule is national and has applied since 1 October 2018. Letting without a required licence is a criminal offence under section 72 of the Housing Act 2004. Read do I need an HMO licence? and how to apply.
The council's public register of licensed properties: London Borough of Islington public register. Use it to check whether a property already holds a licence, for example before you buy. Licences do not transfer to a new owner.
Islington does not publish Article 4 data to the national planning data platform, so we cannot tell you from official data whether an HMO Article 4 direction applies. Absence of data is not absence of a direction: check the council's planning pages.
Licensing and planning are separate. A licence does not give planning permission, and planning permission does not replace a licence. See Article 4 and HMOs.
Figures below count First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) decisions published on GOV.UK for properties located in Islington. They show how tenants and the council use enforcement here. Most civil penalties are paid without appeal, so they never reach the tribunal.
| Rent repayment order decisions | 35 (18 in the last 3 years) |
|---|---|
| Orders made | 26 (89.7% of decisions with a known outcome) |
| Median award | £7,785 (last 3 years: £7,510) |
| Total awarded | £268,448 |
| Civil penalty appeals | 5 |
| Penalty upheld (in full or reduced) | 75% · confirmed in full 50% |
| Median penalty: council's notice / after tribunal | £7,500 / £10,000 |
| Other Housing Act appeals (licence terms, notices, orders) | 4 |
| Decided | Area | Property | Offence alleged | Outcome | Amount | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Apr 2026 | N19 | HMO | unlicensed HMO; unlicensed (selective licensing); failure to comply with improvement notice; breach of banning order | See decision | — | GOV.UK |
| 16 Apr 2026 | N7 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | Order made | £8,100 | GOV.UK |
| 18 Feb 2026 | N7 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | See decision | — | GOV.UK |
| 26 Nov 2025 | N4 | HMO | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Order made | £3,480 | GOV.UK |
| 19 Sept 2025 | N7 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | Order made | £15,015 | GOV.UK |
| Decided | Area | Offence | Outcome | Council's penalty | After tribunal | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Sept 2023 | EC1V | not extracted | Penalty cancelled | £5,000 | £0 | GOV.UK |
| 11 May 2021 | N4 | HMO management regulations | See decision | — | — | GOV.UK |
| 20 Nov 2019 | N4 | failure to comply with improvement notice; HMO management regulations | Penalty varied | £19,000 | £12,500 | GOV.UK |
| 18 Oct 2019 | N7 | breach of licence conditions | Penalty confirmed | £10,000 | £10,000 | GOV.UK |
| 16 Sept 2019 | N7 | unlicensed HMO; HMO management regulations | Penalty confirmed | £4,000 | £4,000 | GOV.UK |
Amounts and outcomes are extracted automatically from the decision text and can be wrong; open the decision on GOV.UK for the full reasons. Party names are not shown. Information, not legal advice.
If you have let without a licence you needed, read unlicensed property: what to do, rent repayment orders and civil penalties.
Islington is in the London region of the new Private Rented Sector Database. Registration opens 15 Jul 2027 and the deadline to register is 14 Oct 2027. The published fee is £65 per property per year. Database registration is separate from council licensing: you may need both. See register your rental property.
We can prepare a licence application for you for a fixed fee; the council's own fee is separate. See pricing for what is included and how we make money. You can also run a full address check on the postcode checker.
Yes. 2024 scheme: in force until 19 May 2029 (part of the area); Selective Licensing 2026 designation: approved, starting 23 Nov 2026 until 22 Nov 2031 (part of the area). Check the council's map or address checker to confirm your street.
Additional HMO licensing: £1,400 (£900 + £100 per letting (5 lettings shown), cap 21 lettings; s257 £800 per building); Selective licensing: £850 (per property); Selective licensing: £850 (per property (current fees doc)). Fees for mandatory HMO licences are set by the council and published on its fees page.
Islington does not publish Article 4 data to the national planning data platform, so we cannot tell you from official data whether an HMO Article 4 direction applies. Absence of data is not absence of a direction: check the council's planning pages.
The council publishes its public register of licences here: London Borough of Islington register. Councils must keep a register of licences under section 232 of the Housing Act 2004.
The First-tier Tribunal has published 35 rent repayment order decisions for properties in Islington (26 with an order made), median award £7,785, and 5 civil penalty appeals. Most penalties are never appealed, so the true number of fines is higher.
Related: selective licensing in England · additional HMO licensing · HMO licence cost · HMO rules · HMO hub
Last checked 28 Sep 2026. Information, not legal advice. Licensing schemes change often; always confirm with the council before you act.