LetLens / Licensing by council / Brent
Landlord licensing in Brent
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Brent let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Brent also runs additional HMO licensing and selective licensing, which can bring smaller HMOs, or every private rental, into licensing.
The licence you need turns on who lives in the property. Find the line that describes your let.
- Required by national lawThe same in all 296 English councils. Not a Brent decision.
Your propertyLet to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet
You needMandatory HMO licence In force England-wide
It costs£1,040 for a 5-bedroom HMO£1040 base + £25/bedroom over 5
WhereEverywhere in Brent, as everywhere in England. Scope, fee schedule and source
- What Brent requires on topSchemes this council chose to run, and what differs from the council next door.
Your propertyA smaller shared house the national scheme does not reach, typically 3 or 4 sharers forming 2 or more households
You needAdditional HMO licence In force
It costs£1,040 for a 4-bedroom HMO£1040 base + £25/bedroom over 5
WhereEverywhere in Brent. Scope, fee schedule and source
Your propertyLet privately inside a designated area, whether or not it is an HMO
You needSelective licence In force
It costs£640 for a 5-bedroom rental
Where21 designated wards, not the whole of Brent. Scope, fee schedule and source
- Planning permission, a separate questionNot licensing. Whether you may create an HMO at all, decided by the council’s planning side.
Your planConverting a house (use class C3) into a small HMO (use class C4)
You needPlanning permission In force
WhereInside the designated area: a mapped boundary. Outside it the right still applies. The direction, its dates and its boundary
Each fee is for the example property named on its own line, from the council’s published schedule. Other sizes are priced separately; the full schedules, discounts and surcharges are below.
Or open NW10 0JQ, a postcode near the centre of Brent, to see what a full report looks like.
Each scheme in detail, and the evidence behind it
Which properties each scheme catches in Brent, in the council’s own words, with the designations in force, the whole published fee schedule and the source for every figure. The three regimes can stack: a property can need a licence under one and still be caught by another.
Mandatory HMO licensing In force England-wide
Fee, 5-bed HMO£1,040£1040 base + £25/bedroom over 5
- Where it applies
- National scheme
- Which properties
- 5+ occupants forming 2+ households sharing amenities; any number of storeys
The published fee schedule
- Base fee
- £1,040
- Base fee, paid in two parts
- £540 on application, then £500 when the licence is granted
- Size charge
- £25 per bedroom above 5
- Renewal
- £940
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 2 February 2026
| Size | Fee | Part 1 + part 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 or more | £940 | £500 + £440 |
Discounts
- London Landlord Accreditation Scheme (LLAS) membership: £40
Other charges
- Assistance completing application (assisted service): £100
- SUPERSEDED pre-2 Feb 2026 new-application fee (HMO, no longer applicable; still shown on live page 'Current prices' column): £840
- SUPERSEDED pre-2 Feb 2026 renewal fee (HMO, no longer applicable; still shown on live page 'Current prices' column): £740
Additional HMO licensing In force
Fee, 4-bed HMO£1,040£1040 base + £25/bedroom over 5
- Where it applies
- Council-wide
- Which properties
- HMOs occupied by 3 or 4 persons from 2+ households; also HMOs not covered by mandatory licensing, including section 257 HMOs (unless exempt) and HMOs in purpose-built blocks of 3+ self-contained flats
- Designations in force
- London Borough of Brent Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing 2026 (Designation 3/2025)
- Designation period
- 2 February 2026 to 2 February 2031
The published fee schedule
- Base fee
- £1,040
- Base fee, paid in two parts
- £540 on application, then £500 when the licence is granted
- Size charge
- £25 per bedroom above 5
- Renewal
- £940
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 2 February 2026
| Size | Fee | Part 1 + part 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 or more | £940 | £500 + £440 |
Discounts
- London Landlord Accreditation Scheme (LLAS) membership: £40
Other charges
- Assistance completing application (assisted service): £100
Selective licensing In force
Fee, 5-bed rental£640
- Where it applies
- 21 designated wards
- Which properties
- Privately rented residential properties occupied by a single person, two people, or a single family household (not an HMO)
- Designations in force
- Notice of Designation of an Area for Selective Licensing 1/2023
Notice of Designation of an Area for Selective Licensing 2/2023 - Designation period
- 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2028
1 April 2024 to 31 March 2029
Notice of Designation of an Area for Selective Licensing 1/2023 covers Dollis Hill, Harlesden & Kensal Green, Willesden Green.
Notice of Designation of an Area for Selective Licensing 2/2023 covers Alperton, Barnhill, Brondesbury Park, Cricklewood & Mapesbury, Kenton, Kilburn, Kingsbury, Northwick Park, Preston, Queens Park, Queensbury, Roundwood, Stonebridge, Sudbury, Tokyngton, Welsh Harp, Wembley Central, Wembley Hill.
The published fee schedule
- Fee
- £640
- Paid in two parts
- £340 on application, then £300 when the licence is granted
- Renewal
- £600
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
| Size | Fee | Part 1 + part 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 or more | £600 | £300 + £300 |
Discounts
- London Landlord Accreditation Scheme (LLAS) membership: £40
Other charges
- Assistance completing application (assisted service): £100
Article 4 and HMO planning permission in Brent In force
An HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Brent covering a mapped boundary, so the permitted-development right to convert a house (C3) into a small HMO (C4) has been removed and planning permission is needed there. We hold 5,092 of Brent's 5,919 postcodes inside a designated area, about 86.0% of the council.
HMO Article 4 direction, a mapped boundary
- Area
- a mapped boundary
- Right removed
- C3 to C4 (small HMO)
- Made
- 14 October 2021
- Confirmed
- 3 February 2022
- In force from
- 1 November 2022
A licence is not planning permission
These are two separate consents from two separate parts of the council, and getting one does not give you the other. A licensing team can grant an HMO licence for a property that needed planning permission and never got it.
Where the permission was needed and is missing, the usual consequence lands on the licence. Councils commonly grant a short licence, often twelve months rather than the full term, to give the owner time to apply. If permission is not applied for, is refused, or an appeal fails, the council will generally refuse to extend and let the licence expire, and will generally refuse a fresh application outright once permission has been finally refused. At that point the property cannot lawfully be let as an HMO at all.
This is council practice rather than a statutory rule, and it varies, so confirm it with Brent before you rely on it. Nottingham City Council publishes its version explicitly and is quoted here as a worked example of the approach.
The research note behind this verdict
What happens if you let without a licence
Letting or managing an unlicensed property that needs a licence is a criminal offence, under section 72 of the Housing Act 2004 for an HMO and section 95 for a property caught by selective licensing. A council can prosecute, or impose a civil penalty instead. For conduct on or after 1 May 2026 that penalty can be up to £40,000 per offence, raised from £30,000 by the Financial Penalties (Housing Offences and Breach of Banning Orders) Regulations 2026. Tenants and the council can also apply for a rent repayment order, which for conduct from the same date can claw back up to two years of rent, up from one, under section 103 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
Both of those maxima apply only to conduct on or after 1 May 2026. Earlier conduct is still judged against the old £30,000 and twelve-month limits. Each breach is normally penalised separately, so an unlicensed portfolio in Brent multiplies the exposure rather than capping it.
The letting market in Brent
Licensing is only one side of the sum. These are medians from real listings we have collected, with the number of listings behind each one, because a median over a handful of adverts is a different claim from a median over hundreds.
- Median room rent£909 pcmFrom 1,119 room listings in Brent.
- Median whole-property rent£1,767 pcmFrom 229 whole-property listings.
- Typical 4-bed rent£3,534 pcmThe comparison a room-by-room let is measured against.
- HMO income premium+29%Five rooms let individually against one four-bedroom whole-property let, before the extra cost, licensing and voids that come with an HMO.
- Median sale price£527,500Across 321 sales in 2026, all property types, HM Land Registry.
- Gross yield, whole let4.0%Median whole-property rent for a year against the median sale price. Before voids, management, repairs, licensing and finance, all of which a real return has to carry.
- Gross yield, 5-room HMO10.3%Five rooms at the median room rent against the same median sale price. The higher figure is what pays for the licence, the extra management and the higher voids, rather than being profit on top of them.
- Typical household income£46,840Mean of net small-area median incomes around the council's main listing areas, not a council-wide median.
- Postcodes with flood exposure3.9%228 of 5,919 indexed postcodes.
- Postcodes in Flood Zone 3108 (1.8%)The Environment Agency's highest-probability zone. Lenders and insurers ask about this one by name, and it is a subset of the exposure above.
Room rent by outcode
Room rent varies by £85 a month across Brent’s outcodes, so the council-wide median above is a starting point rather than the answer for a particular street.
| Outcode | Median room rent | Room listings | Check a postcode |
|---|---|---|---|
| NW10 | £915 pcm | 602 | Check NW10 |
| HA9 | £910 pcm | 462 | Check HA9 |
| NW2 | £830 pcm | 45 | Check NW2 |
Postcode districts in Brent
Licensing, Article 4 and the fee all turn on the exact address, because a designated area rarely follows the council boundary. LetLens holds 5,919 Brent postcodes. Open one of its postcode districts to see the verdict, the local rent evidence and the investment model.
Common questions
Do I need an HMO licence in Brent?
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Brent let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Brent also runs additional HMO licensing and selective licensing, which can bring smaller HMOs, or every private rental, into licensing. Additional HMO licensing applies across the whole council. Selective licensing covers 21 designated wards.
How much does an HMO licence cost in Brent?
£1,040 for a five-bedroom, five-person HMO under the mandatory scheme, from the council's published fee schedule. Fee basis: £1040 base + £25/bedroom over 5. Larger or smaller properties, and any additional or selective scheme, are priced separately.
Is there an Article 4 direction in Brent?
An HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Brent covering a mapped boundary, so the permitted-development right to convert a house (C3) into a small HMO (C4) has been removed and planning permission is needed there. We hold 5,092 of Brent's 5,919 postcodes inside a designated area, about 86.0% of the council.
Which wards in Brent are covered by licensing?
Selective licensing under Notice of Designation of an Area for Selective Licensing 1/2023 covers Dollis Hill, Harlesden & Kensal Green, Willesden Green. Selective licensing under Notice of Designation of an Area for Selective Licensing 2/2023 covers Alperton, Barnhill, Brondesbury Park, Cricklewood & Mapesbury, Kenton, Kilburn, Kingsbury, Northwick Park, Preston, Queens Park, Queensbury, Roundwood, Stonebridge, Sudbury, Tokyngton, Welsh Harp, Wembley Central, Wembley Hill. A designation can cover only part of a named ward, so check the exact address rather than relying on the ward name alone.
What is the penalty for letting an unlicensed property in Brent?
Letting or managing a property that needs a licence without one is a criminal offence under the Housing Act 2004. The council can prosecute or impose a civil penalty, which for conduct on or after 1 May 2026 can be up to £40,000 per offence, raised from £30,000 by the Financial Penalties (Housing Offences and Breach of Banning Orders) Regulations 2026. Tenants or the council can also seek a rent repayment order covering up to two years of rent for conduct from that date, up from one year, under section 103 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Each breach is normally penalised separately. Indicative only, not legal advice.
Do I need planning permission for an HMO in Brent?
Where an Article 4 direction applies, yes: it removes the permitted-development right to change a house (use class C3) into a small HMO (use class C4), so that change needs a planning application. An HMO for seven or more residents needs permission anywhere, Article 4 or not. Planning is separate from licensing, and a licence does not give you permission. Where permission was needed and not obtained, councils commonly grant a licence for about twelve months rather than the full term, and generally refuse to extend it if permission is not then granted, which leaves the property unable to be let as an HMO. Practice varies by council, so confirm it with Brent.
Can I convert a house into a small HMO in Brent without planning permission?
Not inside the Article 4 area. The direction removes the permitted-development right, so a change of use from C3 to C4 needs a planning application. Outside the designated area the right still applies. Check the exact address against the boundary before you commit.
About Brent
Brent is a local housing authority in London, with a population of about 328,000 and 5,919 live postcodes indexed by LetLens. It is the licensing authority for every private rented property inside its boundary, and the local planning authority that decides whether an Article 4 direction applies.
Nearby councils
Licensing stops at the council boundary, so a street on the other side of it can carry a different scheme and a different fee.
Contact Brent
Brent licensing team · [email protected] · 020 8937 2384