Landlord licensing and compliance in Havering
Havering's current selective and additional licensing schemes began on 18 March 2026 and run to 17 March 2031. Selective licensing applies to named areas, while additional HMO licensing covers the borough. A proposed borough-wide HMO planning direction is still under consultation and is not yet an active direction.
Check the scheme boundary
Selective licensing scheme 2 covers designated parts of Beam Park, Harold Wood, Rainham and Wennington, Rush Green and Crowlands, Squirrels Heath, St Albans and St Edwards wards. It is not enough to check the ward name alone; use the council's address and designation information. Additional licensing scheme 3 applies borough-wide to qualifying HMOs. Both schemes run from 18 March 2026 to 17 March 2031.
Fees and planning controls
The council displays selective fees of £570 plus £380 and additional fees of £840 plus £560, before any applicable discounts. The mandatory HMO table also divides fees into two parts. Although the current schemes began in 2026, the fee page does not state the fee year; confirm the charge and renewal terms before paying. Existing HMO Article 4 Directions came into force on 13 July 2016. A new borough-wide direction is under consultation from 21 August to 16 October 2026; it is a proposal, not a current planning restriction.
Sources: Havering Council licensing scheme pages, HMO Article 4 information and the borough consultation page. The fee year and final outcome of the new Article 4 consultation remain UNVERIFIED - could not confirm on council website. A council news page also gives an incomplete consultation date; the consultation page states 21 August to 16 October 2026. 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 - specified areas in 8 named wards. 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.