Landlord licensing and compliance in Harrow
Harrow requires additional licences for qualifying HMOs with three or more occupants and selective licences in six wards, with the 2026 designations taking effect in stages through 1 September. A borough-wide immediate Article 4 Direction for small HMOs came into force on 11 June 2026. Published fees have no stated fee year, and the Article 4 permanence decision is still pending.
Check the ward and start date
Harrow lists selective licensing in Edgware and Roxeth from 2 May 2026, Greenhill and Marlborough from 6 July 2026, and Wealdstone North and Wealdstone South from 1 September 2026. The council provides ward maps and a postcode checker. Additional licensing applies to qualifying smaller HMOs with three or more people; the scheme's exact designation dates and mapped coverage were UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website.
Fees and registers
The council lists new HMO fees of £1,900 and renewal fees of £1,343.80; section 257 fees are £393 new and £278 renewal. Selective licensing is listed at £786 for new and renewal applications. The pages do not state the fee year. Harrow provides an address-searchable licensing register; confirm the current fee and application payment stages with the council before applying.
The immediate Article 4 Direction is already in force
Harrow's immediate borough-wide Article 4 Direction for small HMOs came into force on 11 June 2026. Conversion to a small HMO from 12 June 2026 requires planning permission. The council consulted on making the direction permanent until 27 July 2026 and must decide by 11 December 2026; pending permanence does not mean the immediate direction is inactive. Planning and licensing remain separate requirements.
Sources: London Borough of Harrow HMO licensing, selective licensing, public register and immediate Article 4 guidance; legislation.gov.uk section 249A. Verify additional-scheme dates, current fee year and the permanence decision with the council. 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 - six designated wards, phased in 2026. 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.