LetLens / Licensing by council / Wandsworth
Landlord licensing in Wandsworth
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Wandsworth let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Wandsworth 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 Wandsworth 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£1,827 for a 5-bedroom HMOband 5-5 bedrooms
WhereEverywhere in Wandsworth, as everywhere in England. Scope, fee schedule and source
- What Wandsworth 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£1,507, the same for an HMO of any size
WhereEverywhere in Wandsworth. 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£885, the same for a rental of any size
Where7 designated wards, not the whole of Wandsworth. 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 SW18 2EE, a postcode near the centre of Wandsworth, to see what a full report looks like.
Each scheme in detail, and the evidence behind it
Which properties each scheme catches in Wandsworth, 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£1,827band 5-5 bedrooms
- Where it applies
- National scheme
- Which properties
- HMOs occupied by 5 or more persons forming 2 or more households who share one or more basic amenities (bathroom, toilet or cooking facilities) and use it as their main residence (mandatory HMO licensing, s55(2)(a) Housing Act 2004, Prescribed Descriptions Order 2018)
The published fee schedule
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 2026/27
Fee by number of bedrooms, all 8 bands
| Size | Fee | Part 1 + part 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | £1,711 | £1,036 + £675 |
| 4 | £1,769 | £1,094 + £675 |
| 5 | £1,827 | £1,152 + £675 |
| 6 | £1,885 | £1,210 + £675 |
| 7 | £1,943 | £1,268 + £675 |
| 8 | £2,001 | £1,326 + £675 |
| 9 | £2,059 | £1,384 + £675 |
| 10 or more | £2,117 | £1,442 + £675 |
Discounts
- Multi-dwelling discount (per additional dwelling being licensed in the same building): £104
- EPC rating B or above: £104
- EPC rating C: £52
- Provision to Social Rented Sector: £104
- Gold Standard accreditation (page states 40% off Part B; 40% of the flat £675 Part B = £270): £270
- Accredited landlord: £104
Other charges
- Pre-application advice fee (90 minutes in-depth advice, plans examined and/or site visit, inc VAT) - printed on the apply-for-a-hmo-licence page: £180
Additional HMO licensing In force
Licence fee, any size£1,507
- Where it applies
- Council-wide
- Which properties
- All HMOs as defined by s254 Housing Act 2004 occupied by 3 or more persons comprising 2 or more households that are NOT required to be licensed as a mandatory HMO (i.e. smaller HMOs below the 5-person mandatory threshold, typically shared by 3 or 4 unrelated occupiers). Section 257 HMOs (converted blocks of flats not meeting 1991 Building Regulations, <2/3 owner-occupied) and mandatory HMOs are excluded.
- Designations in force
- The London Borough of Wandsworth Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2025
- Designation period
- 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2030
The published fee schedule
- Fee
- £1,507
- Paid in two parts
- £903 on application, then £604 when the licence is granted
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 2026/27
Discounts
- Multi-dwelling discount (per additional dwelling being licensed in the same building): £104
- EPC rating B or above: £104
- EPC rating C: £52
- Provision to Social Rented Sector: £104
- Gold Standard accreditation (40% off Part B): £242
- Accredited landlord: £104
Other charges
- Headline 'additional HMO licence fee' quoted in the page intro as £1,450 per property (rounded/older summary figure); the itemised current table gives £1,507 total = Part A £903 + Part B £604: £1,450
Selective licensing In force
Licence fee, any size£885
- Where it applies
- 7 designated wards
- Which properties
- Any house let or occupied under a tenancy or licence within the designated wards, unless it is a mandatory HMO, an additional-scheme HMO, RSL-let, under an Interim/Final Management Order, temporarily exempt, or otherwise exempt under the Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006. In practice single-family / single-household lettings and lettings to up to two unrelated sharers.
- Designations in force
- London Borough of Wandsworth Designation 1 for Areas for Selective Licensing 2025
London Borough of Wandsworth Designation 2 for Areas for Selective Licensing 2026 - Designation period
- 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2030
1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031
London Borough of Wandsworth Designation 1 for Areas for Selective Licensing 2025 covers Furzedown, South Balham, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway.
London Borough of Wandsworth Designation 2 for Areas for Selective Licensing 2026 covers East Putney, Northcote, West Putney.
The published fee schedule for London Borough of Wandsworth Designation 1 for Areas for Selective Licensing 2025
- Fee
- £885
- Paid in two parts
- £529 on application, then £356 when the licence is granted
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 2026/27
Discounts, all 7
- Early bird (30% off Part A; Designation 1 early-bird window ended 31 Dec 2025): £159
- Multi-dwelling discount (per additional dwelling being licensed in the same building): £104
- EPC rating B or above: £104
- EPC rating C: £52
- Provision to Social Rented Sector: £104
- Gold Standard accreditation (40% off Part B): £142
- Accredited landlord: £104
Other charges
- Headline 'selective licence fee' quoted in the page intro as £850 per property (rounded/older summary figure); the itemised current table gives £885 total = Part A £529 + Part B £356: £850
The published fee schedule for London Borough of Wandsworth Designation 2 for Areas for Selective Licensing 2026
- Fee
- £885
- Paid in two parts
- £529 on application, then £356 when the licence is granted
- Licence term
- Up to 5 years
- Fee schedule dated
- 2026/27
Discounts, all 7
- Early bird (30% off Part A; Designation 2 early-bird window): £159
- Multi-dwelling discount (per additional dwelling being licensed in the same building): £104
- EPC rating B or above: £104
- EPC rating C: £52
- Provision to Social Rented Sector: £104
- Gold Standard accreditation (40% off Part B): £142
- Accredited landlord: £104
Article 4 and HMO planning permission in Wandsworth None in force
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Wandsworth, 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 Wandsworth multiplies the exposure rather than capping it.
The letting market in Wandsworth
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£1,067 pcmFrom 1,014 room listings in Wandsworth.
- Median whole-property rent£2,576 pcmFrom 247 whole-property listings.
- Typical 4-bed rent£3,581 pcmThe comparison a room-by-room let is measured against.
- HMO income premium+49%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£585,000Across 880 sales in 2026, all property types, HM Land Registry.
- Gross yield, whole let5.3%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 HMO10.9%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£57,214Mean of net small-area median incomes around the council's main listing areas, not a council-wide median.
- Postcodes with flood exposure31.5%1,986 of 6,306 indexed postcodes.
- Postcodes in Flood Zone 31,825 (28.9%)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 £366 a month across Wandsworth’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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SW11 | £1,150 pcm | 536 | Check SW11 |
| SW17 | £988 pcm | 436 | Check SW17 |
| SW15 | £784 pcm | 28 | Check SW15 |
Postcode districts in Wandsworth
Licensing, Article 4 and the fee all turn on the exact address, because a designated area rarely follows the council boundary. LetLens holds 6,306 Wandsworth 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 Wandsworth?
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England, so a property in Wandsworth let to five or more people forming two or more households, who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, needs a licence. Wandsworth 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 7 designated wards.
How much does an HMO licence cost in Wandsworth?
£1,827 for a five-bedroom, five-person HMO under the mandatory scheme, from the council's published fee schedule. Fee basis: band 5-5 bedrooms. Larger or smaller properties, and any additional or selective scheme, are priced separately.
Is there an Article 4 direction in Wandsworth?
No HMO Article 4 direction is in force in Wandsworth, 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.
Which wards in Wandsworth are covered by licensing?
Selective licensing under London Borough of Wandsworth Designation 1 for Areas for Selective Licensing 2025 covers Furzedown, South Balham, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway. Selective licensing under London Borough of Wandsworth Designation 2 for Areas for Selective Licensing 2026 covers East Putney, Northcote, West Putney. 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 Wandsworth?
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 Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a local housing authority in London, with a population of about 330,000 and 6,306 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 Wandsworth
Wandsworth licensing team · [email protected] · 020 8545 3025