City of London: mandatory HMO licensing and office-to-residential planning control
The City of London Corporation requires a mandatory HMO licence for five or more people from two or more households sharing facilities. The displayed fee is £600 on application followed by a grant fee based on lettings. The licence term, local additional and selective schemes and HMO-specific Article 4 position were not confirmed in the official material reviewed.
The mandatory HMO threshold
The City of London Corporation says a house or flat shared by five or more people from two or more households requires a mandatory HMO licence. Applications can be made online or with the council's HMO application form. The licence term was UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website, so keep the actual expiry date and conditions from the issued licence.
The fee is split into two parts
The displayed schedule charges £600 on application. On grant, the second part is £450 for up to five lettings, £600 for six to nine, £750 for ten to fourteen, £900 for fifteen to nineteen or £1,050 for twenty or more. The private-rented page separately says fees are charged at full cost recovery, which conflicts with the displayed schedule; confirm the amount in the live application route.
The register needs a direct request
The Corporation maintains a licensed HMO register, but the official public-register page says its online register link is not working. Access is available by contacting the licensing team or arranging an appointment. Do not treat the broken link as evidence that a property is unlicensed.
Local licensing status remains unverified
Current additional and selective licensing schemes, areas, dates and fees were UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. No explicit current no-scheme statement was located. Check the address and intended occupancy with the Corporation before letting.
Planning is a separate question
The current planning control identified by the Corporation concerns office-to-residential change of use from E(g)(i) to C3. The original direction expired on 31 July 2022 and a further non-immediate direction came into effect on 1 August 2022. This is planning-only and does not confirm an HMO-specific C3-to-C4 Article 4 direction, which was UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website.
Enforcement details need confirmation
The Corporation says operating an unlicensed HMO is a criminal offence and that a £20,000 fine may be imposed. Separate civil-penalty policy and amounts, rent repayment order practice and Temporary Exemption Notice procedure were UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website.
Keep the universal tenancy file complete
Every City of London tenancy still needs annual gas safety, a five-yearly EICR, a valid EPC, deposit protection within 30 days, Right to Rent checks, working smoke and CO alarms and the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet.
Verify current City of London HMO fees, licence term, register access, schemes, enforcement and planning controls via the Corporation's official pages. Illustrative guide - local charges and policies change; general information, not legal advice.
Renewal tracked from expiry, reminders from 60 days out, proof of service to tenants logged. Knows the 2-month early-renewal rule that keeps your date fixed.
Five years goes quicker than you think. Kept remembers so you don't have to - including the 28-day duty to give tenants a copy.
Expiry tracked from the certificate details you confirm - band E is the current minimum for most domestic private lets unless exempt, and proposed changes are flagged only when they become law.
30-day protection window tracked from the day the money lands - not the tenancy date - with prescribed information logged.
Check dates and follow-up dates for time-limited permissions, stored against each tenant.
Smoke alarms every storey, CO alarms where required, checked and dated at the start of every tenancy.
A one-off duty for tenancies that existed on 1 May 2026. Who was served, when, and how - the £7,000 question, answered with a dated record.
Preparation and export support for the future official registration process - clearly marked as planned.
Selective licensing: UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. See the local picture above - every other duty applies exactly as it does nationwide.
Add a postcode and Kept resolves the council, location and local context automatically.
Planned preparation and export support for the government's regional PRS Database rollout.