Do I need an Additional HMO licence in Islington?

Islington's Additional licensing scheme applies borough-wide. You need a licence if the property is a house or flat occupied by three or four unrelated people forming two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet; a building occupied by three or four unrelated people in bedsits or flats that are not fully self-contained; a flat in a purpose-built block let to three or four unrelated people and not already covered by mandatory licensing; or a section 257 HMO. Properties with five or more occupants in two or more households need a mandatory HMO licence instead.

How much does an Islington HMO licence cost?

An Additional HMO licence costs £900 plus £100 for each bedroom. A four-bedroom HMO is therefore £1,300 and a six-bedroom HMO is £1,500. A section 257 HMO licence is £900 for the whole building. A selective licence is £850. The fee is paid in two parts: Part A when you apply and Part B if the council decides to grant the licence.

Is the Islington licence fee refundable?

No. Islington states that fees are non-refundable once you submit an application, including where you later sell the property or stop letting it. The council also states that if you do not provide all the required information or documents your application may be rejected and you will have to pay again to reapply.

What documents does Islington require with an HMO licence application?

Islington asks for room sizes for all rooms except bathrooms, toilets, hallways and landings; details of kitchens and bathrooms; floor plans; an EICR; a gas safety certificate where there is gas; a fire safety certificate where there is a mains wired fire alarm system; a fire risk assessment where there is no mains wired fire alarm system; an emergency lighting certificate where installed; an EPC; a PAT test certificate where the landlord or agent has provided portable appliances; full tenancy agreements including rent and deposit amounts; and an accredited landlord certificate if held.

What is a section 257 HMO in Islington?

A section 257 HMO is a building converted into self-contained flats where the standard of conversion does not meet the Building Regulations 1991, all of the flats are tenanted, and the building is under one single ownership. Islington includes these within its Additional licensing scheme and charges £900 for the whole building rather than a per-bedroom fee.

Can Islington licensing discounts be combined?

Yes. Islington states that where more than one discount applies the discounts are added together. An accredited landlord receives £75, a property with an EPC rating of A, B or C receives £50, and a renewal with no gap between licences receives £25, giving a maximum reduction of £150. All discounts are taken off the Part B payment.

What is the penalty for an unlicensed HMO in Islington?

The maximum civil penalty for letting an unlicensed property is £40,000 per offence, and a Rent Repayment Order can be up to 24 months' rent, for offences committed from 1 May 2026. Islington Council's licensing page states the same figures.

London Borough of Islington

Islington HMO licensing is already live — and the fee is not refundable

The borough-wide Additional HMO Licensing scheme started on 1 February 2026. Islington charges £900 plus £100 per bedroom, takes the fee when you apply, and states that an incomplete application may be rejected — leaving you to pay again. We supply every document Islington asks for, from one visit.

Serving landlords, agents & property managers across all Islington wards

Get my fixed quote

Work out my licence fee

Call 07506 892739

A rejected application costs you the whole fee Read this first

Islington states plainly that fees are non-refundable once an application is submitted — including if you later sell the property or stop letting it.

It also states that if you do not provide all the required information or documents, your application may be rejected and you will have to pay again to reapply.

For a six-bedroom HMO that is £1,500 gone, and £1,500 again to try a second time. The certificates cost a fraction of the fee they protect.

Source: Islington Council — what you need to apply

Islington licence fee

Work out what the council will charge you

Islington does not charge a flat fee. It charges £900 plus £100 for every bedroom, so the cost rises with the size of the property. Most landlords are surprised by the total.

Additional HMO licence fee calculator

Islington Council fee only. This is not our price.

Bedrooms Accredited landlord EPC A, B or C Renewal, no gap

Base fee£900

Bedrooms × £100£500

Discounts−£0

Payable to Islington£1,400

Paid in two parts — Part A when you apply, Part B if the council decides to grant the licence. Discounts are taken off Part B. Figures from Islington’s published fee schedule, “Property Licensing Fees 1 February 2026 onwards”.

Licence type	Fee	Applies to
Additional HMO	£900 + £100/bed	3 or 4 unrelated people, 2+ households, borough-wide
Mandatory HMO	£900 + £100/bed	5 or more unrelated people, 2+ households
Section 257 HMO	£900 flat	Converted block, single ownership, all flats tenanted
Selective	£850	Finsbury Park, Hillrise and Tollington wards today. A new selective scheme for Barnsbury, Caledonian, Highbury, Junction, Laycock, Mildmay and Tufnell Park starts on 23 November 2026, with applications open since 7 September 2026

The application

Everything Islington asks you to upload

Islington’s application list is longer than most boroughs. Missing one item is what triggers a rejection — and a rejection is not refunded.

Document	When required
Floor plans	Always
Room sizes	Every room except bathrooms, toilets, hallways and landings
Kitchen and bathroom details	Always
EICR	Always
Gas safety certificate	Where the property has a gas supply
Fire safety certificate	Where there is a mains wired fire alarm system
Fire risk assessment	HMOs where there is no mains wired fire alarm system
Emergency lighting certificate	Where emergency lighting is installed
EPC	Always
PAT test certificate	Where the landlord or agent has provided portable appliances
Tenancy agreements	Full agreements including rent and deposit amounts
Accreditation certificate	If claiming the accredited landlord discount

Note the either/or: Islington wants a fire alarm test certificate where a mains wired system is fitted, and a fire risk assessment where one is not. We check which applies before quoting, so you are not paying for a document the council will not ask for.

Overseas landlords: Islington will only accept an application from a non-UK resident or a company not based in the UK where a UK-based managing agent signs a declaration agreeing to be bound by the licence conditions.

Pricing

Islington Licence Pack — priced by room count

Up to 4 bedrooms

£795

Council fee at 4 beds: £1,300

5–6 bedrooms

£945

Council fee at 6 beds: £1,500

7 or more bedrooms

£1,095

Council fee at 8 beds: £1,700

Every document on Islington’s list, from one visit, formatted to upload straight to the application. Prices confirmed in writing before any visit is booked. Section 257 blocks are quoted individually — ask.

Often added

Service	Price	Why
Legionella risk assessment	£225	Separate landlord duty under HSE ACOP L8
Asbestos management survey	£275	Common parts of pre-2000 conversions
Fire door certificate	£165	Where fire doors are fitted to escape routes
Fire extinguisher testing	£95	Annual service of provided extinguishers
Express 24-hour turnaround	+£95	Where you are already at risk of enforcement

Often missed

Section 257 HMOs — converted blocks under one owner

You may need a licence without realising it

Islington includes section 257 HMOs inside its Additional licensing scheme. A building is caught if all of the following apply:

It has been converted into self-contained flats
The standard of conversion does not meet the Building Regulations 1991
All of the flats are tenanted
The building is under one single ownership

Many owners of converted Victorian and Edwardian buildings assume that because each flat is self-contained, no HMO licence applies. In Islington that assumption is wrong, and the offence is the same as any other unlicensed HMO.

The fee is £900 for the whole building, not per bedroom — so a large converted block is proportionally far cheaper to license than a shared house. If you own a converted block in Islington, it is worth checking.

Discounts

Islington discounts stack — up to £150 off

Unlike most boroughs, Islington states explicitly that where more than one discount applies, they are added together. All reductions come off the Part B payment.

Discount	Amount	Requirement
Accredited landlord	−£75	Valid certificate in your name from an approved body
EPC rating A, B or C	−£50	Current EPC on the property
Renewal with no gap	−£25	New licence starts as the old one ends
Maximum combined	−£150

Approved accreditation bodies include LLAS, NRLA, RICS, UKALA, ARLA, Safeagent, PropertyMark and ANUK. If you are not accredited and hold several Islington properties, accreditation usually pays for itself.

An EPC rating of C is achievable on most properties with straightforward measures — and it is worth £50 on every licence you hold, on top of the letting requirements.

Enforcement

What an unlicensed property now costs

Islington now publishes the higher penalty Updated

Islington Council’s property licensing page now states a fine of up to £40,000 for each offence and that it may apply for a Rent Repayment Order of up to 24 months of rental income. Those are the figures under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 for offences committed from 1 May 2026. Islington’s scheme has been running since February 2026, so a landlord who has not yet applied is exposed at these figures.

Two weeks later the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 raised the maximum civil penalty to £40,000 and extended Rent Repayment Orders to 24 months, with effect from 1 May 2026.

Islington’s scheme has been running since February, so a landlord who has not yet applied is exposed at the higher figures, not the ones published on the council’s page.

Islington also publishes a public register of licensed properties, and tenants are increasingly being encouraged to check it. Median rents in the borough mean a 24-month Rent Repayment Order can exceed the value of a year’s income from the property.

The council can also grant a licence for less than the full five years where it finds the property was operating unlicensed beforehand — so a late application can cost more over time as well.

How it works

From enquiry to upload-ready file in four steps

Tell us about the property

Postcode, bedroom count, gas supply, and whether there is a mains wired fire alarm. Call, WhatsApp or use the form.

Fixed quote, same day

We confirm which documents Islington will actually require for your property, and the price, in writing.

One visit

Qualified, insured engineers attend together where possible, so tenants are disturbed once.

Your application file

Every document emailed together, usually within 24 hours, ready to upload to Islington’s portal.

Questions

Islington HMO licensing FAQs

Does my property need an Additional HMO licence?

If it is a house or flat occupied by three or four unrelated people forming two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet — yes, anywhere in Islington. The same applies to buildings occupied by three or four people in bedsits or flats that are not fully self-contained, and to flats in purpose-built blocks let to three or four unrelated people.

Five or more occupants in two or more households need a mandatory HMO licence instead. The fee is the same.

Why is the fee so much higher than other boroughs?

Because Islington charges per bedroom. A four-bedroom HMO is £1,300 and a six-bedroom is £1,500, where a borough charging a flat fee might be £1,000 to £1,250 regardless of size. Larger HMOs are disproportionately affected.

What happens if my application is incomplete?

Islington states it may be rejected, and that you will have to pay again to reapply. The fee is not refunded. This is the single most expensive mistake in the process, and it is entirely avoidable.

Do I need both a fire risk assessment and a fire alarm certificate?

Usually one or the other. Islington asks for a fire safety certificate where there is a mains wired fire alarm system, and a fire risk assessment where there is not. We check which applies to your property before quoting.

I live overseas. Can I still apply?

Only if a UK-based managing agent signs a declaration agreeing to be bound by the licence conditions. Islington will not treat the application as valid otherwise.

Do you submit the application for me?

No. We supply the documents; the application is made by the licence holder through Islington’s online portal. Everything we issue is formatted to upload directly.

Last verified 26 July 2026 against Islington Council’s published licensing and fee pages. Fees and requirements change — confirm current requirements with Islington’s property licensing team on 020 7527 3205 or property.licensing@islington.gov.uk before applying.