Landlord licensing and compliance in Hackney
Hackney operates mandatory and additional HMO licensing, plus selective licensing in 17 named wards. The council's fee page lists split payments but does not state the fee year, and its address checker returned an error during research. Confirm the exact property boundary, current fee and licence term with the council.
Check the ward and street
Selective licensing applies to specified ordinary lets in Brownswood, Cazenove, Clissold, Dalston, De Beauvoir, Hackney Central, Hackney Downs, Hackney Wick, Homerton, King's Park, Lea Bridge, London Fields, Shacklewell, Springfield, Stamford Hill West, Stoke Newington and Victoria. The council's address checker displayed an error during research, so confirm the exact address with the licensing team.
HMO schemes and fees
Additional licensing applies to qualifying HMOs occupied by three or four people from two or more households; mandatory licensing applies to qualifying HMOs with five or more. The council lists £925 for selective licensing and £1,400 for additional or mandatory HMO licensing, each split into Part A and Part B. The fee year was not stated, and renewal charges were not confirmed. Ask the council for the current schedule before paying.
Keep planning separate
Hackney lists several Article 4 directions, including conservation-area and commercial-to-residential controls. The material checked did not confirm a direction removing C3-to-C4 permitted development rights. These planning controls are separate from licensing; check the address and applicable direction before changing use.
Sources: London Borough of Hackney property-licensing guidance, application information and Article 4 directions. Scheme dates, licence duration, renewal charges and an HMO-specific C3-to-C4 direction were UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. Illustrative guide - scheme boundaries and dates 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 (ordinary lets): YES - 17 named wards; verify exact address. 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.