Wandsworth 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 |
|---|---|
| Runs | 1 Jul 2025 to 30 Jun 2030 |
| Fee | £1,507 (Part A £903 + Part B £604) per property |
| Discounts | multi-dwelling £104 off A; EPC B+ £104 / C £52 off B; social-rent provision £104; Gold Standard 40% off B; accredited £104 off B |
Note from our check: s257 excluded (LPL)
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Area covered | Listed wards only (4 wards) |
|---|---|
| Runs | 1 Jul 2025 to 30 Jun 2030 |
| Fee | £885 (Part A £529 + Part B £356) per property |
| Discounts | as additional; Gold Standard 40% off B |
Furzedown · South Balham · Tooting Bec · Tooting Broadway
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.
| Area covered | Listed wards only (3 wards) |
|---|---|
| Runs | 1 Apr 2026 to 31 Mar 2031 |
| Fee | £885 (Part A £529 + Part B £356) per property |
| Discounts | early bird £159 (30%) off Part A until 2026-10-01 (LPL date) |
East Putney · Northcote · West Putney
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 2026 in 3 days | early-bird discount deadline | Selective licensing | council |
| 30 Jun 2030 estimated (start + 5 years) in 1371 days | scheme end | Additional HMO licensing | council |
| 30 Jun 2030 estimated (start + 5 years) in 1371 days | scheme end | Selective licensing | council |
| 31 Mar 2031 estimated (start + 5 years) in 1645 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 Wandsworth. Every council must keep one (Housing Act 2004, s.232) and make it available for inspection; ask the council's private sector housing team.
Wandsworth 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 Wandsworth. 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 | 27 (7 in the last 3 years) |
|---|---|
| Orders made | 20 (83.3% of decisions with a known outcome) |
| Median award | £7,285 (last 3 years: £14,473) |
| Total awarded | £293,320 |
| Civil penalty appeals | 1 |
| Penalty upheld (in full or reduced) | 100% · confirmed in full 0% |
| Median penalty: council's notice / after tribunal | £15,000 / £21,000 |
| Other Housing Act appeals (licence terms, notices, orders) | 3 |
| Decided | Area | Property | Offence alleged | Outcome | Amount | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Nov 2025 | SW15 | HMO | unlicensed HMO; breach of licence conditions; unlawful eviction / harassment | Withdrawn / struck out | — | GOV.UK |
| 27 Jun 2025 | SW17 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | Order made | £27,212 | GOV.UK |
| 24 Feb 2025 | SW17 | HMO | unlawful eviction / harassment; failure to comply with improvement notice | Refused | — | GOV.UK |
| 10 Jan 2025 | SW12 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | Order made | £21,396 | GOV.UK |
| 21 Nov 2024 | SW12 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | Order made | £44,362 | GOV.UK |
| Decided | Area | Offence | Outcome | Council's penalty | After tribunal | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Jun 2021 | SW15 | unlicensed HMO | Penalty varied | £15,000 | £21,000 | 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.
Wandsworth 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. Designation 1: in force until 30 Jun 2030 (part of the area); Designation 2: in force until 31 Mar 2031 (part of the area). Check the council's map or address checker to confirm your street.
Additional HMO licensing: £1,507 (per property); Selective licensing: £885 (per property); Selective licensing: £885 (per property). Fees for mandatory HMO licences are set by the council and published on its fees page.
Wandsworth 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 First-tier Tribunal has published 27 rent repayment order decisions for properties in Wandsworth (20 with an order made), median award £7,285, and 1 civil penalty appeal. 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.