Islington Additional Licensing: What Landlords Need to Know in 2026

Islington additional licensing at a glance

This is particularly relevant if you assume an HMO only needs licensing once five people live there. Five occupiers is the threshold for mandatory HMO licensing. Islington’s additional scheme goes considerably further.

Sources: Islington property licensing · how to apply / fees.

What is additional HMO licensing?

An HMO is broadly a property occupied by people from more than one household who share facilities such as a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. Large HMOs occupied by at least five people forming two or more households are already covered by national mandatory HMO licensing.

Councils can introduce additional licensing schemes which bring smaller HMOs into the licensing system — and that is exactly what Islington has done. The number landlords need to pay attention to is therefore not five. It’s three.

A property occupied by three or four people forming two or more households can fall within additional licensing. Yes, that includes many perfectly ordinary flats rented to groups of friends. See also mandatory vs additional vs selective and do I need an HMO licence?.

Some examples

One of the traps here is that licensing looks at actual occupation, not simply the number of names on the tenancy agreement. Imagine you let a two-bedroom flat to two people. A partner subsequently moves in. Depending on the relationships, you may suddenly have three people forming two households — and an HMO without the landlord necessarily noticing anything had changed.

Not sure? Run the free licence checker for Islington.

Purpose-built flats can need an HMO licence

There’s a surprisingly common assumption that HMO licensing is mainly concerned with Victorian houses split into rooms. It isn’t. A perfectly ordinary purpose-built flat can be an HMO.

Islington’s 2025 additional designation expressly applies the self-contained flat test including all purpose-built flats. If three unrelated friends rent a three-bedroom flat together in Islington, the property may require an additional HMO licence even though it sits in a modern block. The licensing test is about occupation — not architectural style.

What about Section 257 HMOs?

A Section 257 HMO is, broadly, a building converted into self-contained flats where the conversion did not comply with the relevant Building Regulations and certain statutory conditions are met. Some Section 257 HMOs are included within Islington’s additional licensing scheme — particularly relevant to older converted buildings and flats above commercial premises.

The designation restricts licensing of section 257 buildings to cases where all accommodation units are privately rented and under the same ownership, and excludes converted buildings consisting of no more than two flats. The fee schedule for a qualifying s257 building is £800 (£450 Part A + £350 Part B), rather than the per-bedroom additional formula.

The exact configuration of the building, the date and standard of conversion, ownership structure and how the flats are occupied can all matter — this is one area where a short online summary is not enough on its own.

Purpose-built student accommodation

Buildings that fall within Schedule 14 of the Housing Act (including certain student accommodation managed by educational establishments) remain outside the HMO definition for licensing. Purpose-built student accommodation that is not covered by those exemptions — and that otherwise meets the additional or mandatory conditions — can require a licence under the February 2026 regime. That is more often relevant to professional operators than a typical buy-to-let landlord, but it is a notable part of the scheme’s reach. Large student developments also have a different per-letting surcharge on the mandatory fee schedule (£35 rather than £100 per letting).

How much does an Islington HMO licence cost?

The standard additional (and mandatory) HMO licence fee is currently £900 + £100/bedroom. The council’s fee schedule defines a “letting” as a bedsit room, a bedroom in a shared house/HMO/flat occupied by more than one household, or a self-contained flat in single-household occupation within an HMO — so the public apply page’s “per bedroom” wording and the schedule’s “per letting” wording point at the same charge in practice for a typical shared house.

Possible discounts (off Part B)

Discounts may be combined where you qualify. Fees are not casually refundable — if the application is incomplete or has to be resubmitted, you may end up paying again. Checking everything properly before hitting submit is time well spent.

Compare London-wide fees on HMO licence cost London or the Islington borough fee cards. Official detail: apply page · fees PDF.

How long does an Islington HMO licence last?

An HMO licence can be granted for up to five years. That does not mean every landlord automatically receives a five-year licence — the council can grant a shorter term. For instance, a landlord who has been operating an HMO without the required licence may find the licence eventually granted is shorter than the maximum. Waiting until the council discovers an unlicensed property is not a clever strategy.

Islington HMO room sizes

Islington updated its HMO standards in 2026. Simply meeting the national minimum sleeping-room sizes does not necessarily mean the property will satisfy the council’s expectations. For rooms where tenants have access to a separate shared kitchen:

These figures are worth knowing before buying, converting or reconfiguring an HMO. A room can look perfectly usable when you’re standing in it with an estate agent — that doesn’t necessarily mean the council will agree. Check Islington HMO standards, the room size checker, or the council standards PDF.

Kitchens and shared facilities

Islington’s standards also deal with the size and provision of kitchens. Requirements increase with the number of occupiers and cover floor area, worktop space, sinks, food storage, fridge and freezer capacity, electrical sockets, ventilation and cooking facilities.

Obtaining an HMO licence isn’t simply a question of paying the fee — the property itself needs to meet the relevant standards. Just because the previous owner squeezed six tenants into a property doesn’t mean you will necessarily be allowed to continue doing so. Related: HMO kitchen requirements London · bathroom requirements.

Fire safety

Fire precautions are a major part of HMO licensing. Islington’s standards deal with smoke detection, heat detection, fire-resistant doors, escape routes and the protection of higher-risk areas. Landlords should expect interconnected alarm systems and appropriate heat detection in kitchens. The precise requirements depend on the property — a three-storey converted house presents different risks to a modern flat.

E-bikes and lithium batteries

One particularly modern feature of Islington’s HMO guidance is its treatment of e-bikes and lithium batteries. Charging lithium-ion batteries has become a genuine fire safety issue in London rentals. Islington’s standards say e-bikes should only be charged in rooms or cupboards with a 30-minute fire door (smoke seals and intumescent strips) and smoke detection. There isn’t much point in beautifully maintained fire doors if someone then leaves a questionable e-bike battery charging in the escape route overnight — address this specifically with tenants. HMO KIT can help with fire risk assessments.

Licence conditions don’t stop at the front door

Landlords sometimes think HMO licensing is mainly a property standards exercise. It isn’t. The licence also imposes management obligations covering matters such as:

• tenancy documentation and inventories
• security, waste and recycling
• anti-social behaviour
• safety certificates and property management
• record keeping

Anti-social behaviour is particularly worth noting — licence holders may be expected to investigate complaints, keep records and take reasonable steps when problems arise. Rubbish and recycling arrangements sound trivial until you own a rental above a parade of shops.

What happens if you don’t get a licence?

Operating a property without the required licence is a criminal offence. Depending on the circumstances, the council may prosecute or impose a civil financial penalty. For relevant offences committed from 1 May 2026, the maximum civil financial penalty increased to £40,000. That’s the maximum, rather than an automatic penalty — but still a fairly compelling reason to spend ten minutes checking whether your property needs a licence.

Councils increasingly use data to identify potentially unlicensed properties — council tax records, electoral information, tenancy data, complaints and other sources. Waiting quietly and hoping nobody notices isn’t much of a compliance strategy. See the council licensing hub.

Rent Repayment Orders

Failing to license a property can also expose a landlord to a Rent Repayment Order. This allows tenants, and in some circumstances local authorities, to seek repayment of rent where certain housing offences have been committed.

For relevant offences committed on or after 1 May 2026, the maximum Rent Repayment Order can reach two years’ rent. Previously, the maximum was generally 12 months (and Islington’s own enforcement pages still summarise the older 12-month figure). A London property producing £3,000 a month in rent could potentially expose the landlord to a claim involving tens of thousands of pounds — suddenly the licence fee starts looking rather cheap.

Additional licensing isn’t the same as selective licensing

This is probably the most confusing part of Islington property licensing. The borough operates both additional licensing and selective licensing — they are not the same thing.

Additional licensing primarily applies to HMOs and covers the whole borough. Selective licensing applies to other privately rented properties within designated areas. That means a property occupied by one household might not be an HMO at all, but could still require a selective licence because of where it is located.

Islington already has selective licensing in parts of the borough and is expanding further. Applications for the expanded scheme opened in September 2026, with the new designation coming into force on 23 November 2026 in a further seven wards:

• Barnsbury
• Caledonian
• Highbury
• Junction
• Laycock
• Mildmay
• Tufnell Park

Live selective wards today remain Finsbury Park, Hillrise and Tollington. Ask two separate questions: who lives in the property, and where is the property? The answers determine which regime may apply.

Map: live selective licensing wards in Islington

Blue wards are inside the live selective designation. The whole borough still needs mandatory or additional HMO licensing where occupancy qualifies — selective does not replace those regimes.

Confirm live scheme cards, full map tools and contacts on the Islington borough hub. Hosted selective designation notice: Selective designation 2024.

Does an Islington HMO need planning permission?

Licensing and planning permission are separate issues. Obtaining an HMO licence doesn’t automatically mean the property’s planning use is lawful. Equally, having the correct planning use doesn’t remove the requirement for an HMO licence.

In Islington, smaller HMOs may benefit from permitted planning use depending on their circumstances, whereas larger HMOs can require specific planning permission. A borough-wide Article 4 Direction has applied since 1 February 2022 for C3 to C4 conversions. Conversions into self-contained flats raise another set of planning and Building Regulations questions. Check four separate things: licensing, planning, Building Regulations, and lease restrictions where relevant. Read Article 4 HMO London and the council’s planning & building control for HMOs.

What will you need for an Islington HMO licence application?

The application process requires considerably more than your name and bank card. Gather everything before starting — there is nothing particularly enjoyable about reaching page 14 of an online application only to discover you need the dimensions of the second-floor rear bedroom. Full checklist: licence documents checklist.

What should existing Islington HMO landlords do?

If you already operate an HMO in Islington, check four things:

1. Make sure the property is licensed under the current scheme rather than assuming an old licence somehow carries on indefinitely.
2. Check current occupancy — partners move in, tenants move out, rooms are sublet; those changes can affect licensing.
3. Compare the property against the council’s latest HMO standards — what was acceptable five years ago may not meet 2026 expectations.
4. Read the licence conditions themselves. Obtaining the licence is only the start; you then need to comply with it.

Useful Islington links

• Islington borough licensing hub — schemes, map, contacts
• Islington HMO standards — room sizes and amenity rules
• Licence checker (Islington)
• Room size checker
• Islington Council property licensing
• How to apply / fees & discounts
• Council HMO pages · standards PDF · fees PDF
• Selective designation notice 2024
• Southwark selective licensing guide · documents checklist · Article 4

Islington additional licensing FAQs

Final thoughts

Don’t assume that an HMO only needs a licence when five people live there. In Islington, three or four occupiers forming two or more households can be enough to trigger additional HMO licensing. The current borough-wide scheme runs until 31 January 2031, so this isn’t something that’s likely to disappear next year.

With potential civil penalties of up to £40,000 and Rent Repayment Orders potentially covering two years’ rent, licensing is one of those compliance jobs where hoping for the best can become extremely expensive. Whenever the occupation of a property changes, ask whether its licensing status has changed with it — a much cheaper question to ask before the council asks it for you.

Need help? HMO KIT can check the licensing position, prepare the application and arrange supporting compliance documentation where needed. This guide is general information, not legal advice — confirm current Islington Council requirements before acting.