Lambeth has 3 discretionary licensing schemes on our record: additional HMO licensing (in force), selective licensing (in force). 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 |
|---|---|
| Designation made | 8 Sept 2021 |
| Runs | 9 Dec 2021 to 8 Dec 2026 |
| Fee | £2,750 £550 per habitable room (5 rooms) from 1 Apr 2026 |
| Discounts | £75 accredited off Part B; no renewal discount |
Note from our check: scheme ends 2026-12-08; no renewal notice found on council page 2026-09-28
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Area covered | Listed wards only (4 wards) |
|---|---|
| Runs | 2 Sept 2024 to 1 Sept 2029 |
| Fee | £923 per property |
| Discounts | £50 EPC C+; £75 accredited; multi-flat |
Knights Hill · Streatham Common & Vale · Streatham Hill East · Streatham St Leonard's
Ward or street lists can split a road. Use the council's own address checker or designation map before relying on this list.
Note from our check: fee LPL Nov 2025
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Area covered | Listed wards only (19 wards) |
|---|---|
| Runs | 1 Sept 2025 to 31 Aug 2030 |
| Fee | £923 per property |
Brixton Acre Lane · Brixton North · Brixton Rush Common · Brixton Windrush · Clapham Common & Abbeville · Clapham East · Clapham Park · Clapham Town · Gipsy Hill · Herne Hill & Loughborough Junction · Kennington · Myatt's Field · Oval · St Martin's · Stockwell East · Stockwell West & Larkhall · Streatham Hill West & Thornton · Streatham Wells · West Dulwich
Ward or street lists can split a road. Use the council's own address checker or designation map before relying on this list.
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Date | What | Scheme | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Dec 2026 estimated (start + 5 years) in 71 days | scheme end | Additional HMO licensing | council |
| 1 Sept 2029 estimated (start + 5 years) in 1069 days | scheme end | Selective licensing | council |
| 31 Aug 2030 estimated (start + 5 years) in 1433 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.
We did not find an online public register for Lambeth. Every council must keep one (Housing Act 2004, s.232) and make it available for inspection; ask the council's private sector housing team.
Lambeth publishes Article 4 data to the national planning data platform, but none of its 223 published areas are labelled as an HMO direction. That does not prove there is no HMO Article 4 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 Lambeth. 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 | 47 (24 in the last 3 years) |
|---|---|
| Orders made | 35 (79.5% of decisions with a known outcome) |
| Median award | £8,400 (last 3 years: £10,697) |
| Total awarded | £377,114 |
| Civil penalty appeals | 2 |
| Penalty upheld (in full or reduced) | 100% · confirmed in full 100% |
| Other Housing Act appeals (licence terms, notices, orders) | 8 |
| Decided | Area | Property | Offence alleged | Outcome | Amount | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Aug 2026 | SW4 | HMO | not extracted | Order made | £29,582 | GOV.UK |
| 17 Apr 2026 | SE11 | HMO | not extracted | Order made | £6,713 | GOV.UK |
| 23 Feb 2026 | SW9 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | Order made | £3,870 | GOV.UK |
| 16 Feb 2026 | SW9 | HMO | unlicensed HMO; unlicensed (selective licensing); unlawful eviction / harassment; failure to comply with improvement notice; breach of banning order; violence for securing entry | Order made | £1,155 | GOV.UK |
| 19 Jan 2026 | SE5 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | Order made | £30,600 | 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.
Lambeth 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. Phase 1: in force until 1 Sept 2029 (part of the area); Phase 2: in force until 31 Aug 2030 (part of the area). Check the council's map or address checker to confirm your street.
Additional HMO licensing: £2,750 (£550 per habitable room (5 rooms) from 1 Apr 2026); Selective licensing: £923 (per property); Selective licensing: £923 (per property). Fees for mandatory HMO licences are set by the council and published on its fees page.
Lambeth publishes Article 4 data to the national planning data platform, but none of its 223 published areas are labelled as an HMO direction. That does not prove there is no HMO Article 4 direction: check the council's planning pages.
The First-tier Tribunal has published 47 rent repayment order decisions for properties in Lambeth (35 with an order made), median award £8,400, and 2 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.