LetLens / Licensing by council / Hammersmith and Fulham
Landlord licensing in Hammersmith and Fulham
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Hammersmith and Fulham let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Hammersmith and Fulham 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 Hammersmith and Fulham 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£1,656 for a 5-bedroom HMO£1656 base + £183/bedroom over 5
WhereEverywhere in Hammersmith and Fulham, as everywhere in England. Scope, fee schedule and source
- What Hammersmith and Fulham 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£755, the same for an HMO of any size
WhereEverywhere in Hammersmith and Fulham. 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£755, the same for a rental of any size
WhereDesignated area (postcode-resolved), not the whole of Hammersmith and Fulham. 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 None in force
WhereNo direction here, so this is normally permitted development. 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 W6 8RD, a postcode near the centre of Hammersmith and Fulham, to see what a full report looks like.
Each scheme in detail, and the evidence behind it
Which properties each scheme catches in Hammersmith and Fulham, 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£1,656£1656 base + £183/bedroom over 5
- Where it applies
- National scheme
- Which properties
- An HMO with 5 or more occupiers forming 2 or more households sharing amenities, which is not a purpose-built flat in a block of three or more purpose-built flats
The published fee schedule
- Base fee
- £1,656
- Size charge
- £183 per bedroom above 5
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 2026/27
Discounts
- member of an accredited landlord body (NRLA / RLA / London Landlord Accreditation Scheme): £80
- signed up to the landlord rental charter: £50
Other charges
- each additional bedroom above 5: £183
- copy of the public licence register: £54
Additional HMO licensing In force
Licence fee, any size£755
- Where it applies
- Council-wide
- Which properties
- HMOs not covered by mandatory licensing: smaller shared houses/flats with 3 or 4 occupiers (2+ households); purpose-built flats in blocks with any number of occupiers; and section 257 converted blocks of flats (plus standard-test, self-contained-flat, converted-building and section 255-declaration HMOs)
- Designations in force
- London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham Designation for an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2022
- Designation period
- 5 June 2022 to 4 June 2027
The published fee schedule
- Fee
- £755
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 2026/27
Discounts
- member of an accredited landlord body (NRLA / RLA / London Landlord Accreditation Scheme): £80
- signed up to the landlord rental charter: £50
Selective licensing In force
Licence fee, any size£755
- Where it applies
- Designated area (postcode-resolved)
- Which properties
- Any flat or house let/occupied under a tenancy or licence, and not required to be licensed as an HMO, located on one of the 24 designated streets (excludes RSL/housing-association lets, licensable HMOs, and other statutory exemptions)
- Designations in force
- London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham Designation for an Area for Selective Licensing 2022
- Designation period
- 5 June 2022 to 4 June 2027
The published fee schedule
- Fee
- £755
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 2026/27
Discounts
- member of an accredited landlord body (NRLA / RLA / London Landlord Accreditation Scheme): £80
- signed up to the landlord rental charter: £50
Article 4 and HMO planning permission in Hammersmith and Fulham None in force
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Hammersmith and Fulham, so converting a house into a small HMO occupied by no more than six residents (use class C4) is normally permitted development and does not need planning permission on those grounds. An HMO for seven or more residents falls outside class C4 and needs permission anyway.
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 Hammersmith and Fulham multiplies the exposure rather than capping it.
The letting market in Hammersmith and Fulham
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£1,104 pcmFrom 903 room listings in Hammersmith and Fulham.
- Median whole-property rent£2,430 pcmFrom 204 whole-property listings.
- Typical 4-bed rent£4,234 pcmThe comparison a room-by-room let is measured against.
- HMO income premium+30%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£623,750Across 366 sales in 2026, all property types, HM Land Registry.
- Gross yield, whole let4.7%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 HMO10.6%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£53,866Mean of net small-area median incomes around the council's main listing areas, not a council-wide median.
- Postcodes with flood exposure72.7%2,683 of 3,689 indexed postcodes.
- Postcodes in Flood Zone 32,316 (62.8%)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 £254 a month across Hammersmith and Fulham’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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| W14 | £1,250 pcm | 195 | Check W14 |
| SW6 | £1,127 pcm | 353 | Check SW6 |
| W12 | £996 pcm | 346 | Check W12 |
Postcode districts in Hammersmith and Fulham
Licensing, Article 4 and the fee all turn on the exact address, because a designated area rarely follows the council boundary. LetLens holds 3,689 Hammersmith and Fulham 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 Hammersmith and Fulham?
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Hammersmith and Fulham let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Hammersmith and Fulham 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 Designated area (postcode-resolved).
How much does an HMO licence cost in Hammersmith and Fulham?
£1,656 for a five-bedroom, five-person HMO under the mandatory scheme, from the council's published fee schedule. Fee basis: £1656 base + £183/bedroom over 5. Larger or smaller properties, and any additional or selective scheme, are priced separately.
Is there an Article 4 direction in Hammersmith and Fulham?
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Hammersmith and Fulham, so converting a house into a small HMO occupied by no more than six residents (use class C4) is normally permitted development and does not need planning permission on those grounds. An HMO for seven or more residents falls outside class C4 and needs permission anyway.
What is the penalty for letting an unlicensed property in Hammersmith and Fulham?
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.
About Hammersmith and Fulham
Hammersmith and Fulham is a local housing authority in London, with a population of about 184,000 and 3,689 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 Hammersmith and Fulham
Hammersmith and Fulham licensing team · [email protected] · 020 8753 1703