Newham: if you let it, you licence it (with two exceptions)
Newham runs one of the most comprehensive property licensing regimes in England. Since 1 June 2023, selective licensing has applied to every ward in the borough except Royal Victoria and Stratford Olympic Park - and that sits alongside additional and mandatory HMO licensing. In practice, if you rent out a property in Newham and it isn't in one of those two wards, it needs a licence. Full stop.
Which licence, and which ward
The 1 June 2023 designation covers Beckton, Boleyn, Canning Town North, Canning Town South, Custom House, East Ham, East Ham South, Forest Gate North, Forest Gate South, Green Street East, Green Street West, Little Ilford, Manor Park, Maryland, Plaistow North, Plaistow South, Plaistow West and Canning Town East, Plashet, Royal Albert, Stratford, Wall End and West Ham. If your property is a mandatory or additional HMO you licence it under those schemes instead - the selective licence is for everything else. If it's in Royal Victoria or Stratford Olympic Park you need neither a selective nor an additional licence, and you don't need to ask the council to confirm an exemption.
Size and occupancy don't get you out of it
Newham is explicit that all privately rented properties in a selective licensing zone must be licensed regardless of their occupation and size. A studio let to one person is as licensable as a four-bedroom house. Landlords without a licence may be prosecuted, and the council notes they may no longer be able to operate - a banning order is a real outcome in the borough, not a theoretical one.
Fees, discounts and multiple dwellings
A selective licence costs £750 for up to five years. Accredited landlords with a property rated EPC A+, A, B or C can bring the online application down to £650, so it pays to have your EPC and accreditation in order before you apply, not after. If you own several dwellings in one building, ask the council about a multi-dwelling licence rather than applying separately.
Verify your ward via Newham Council's interactive ward map and its rented property licensing pages. Illustrative guide - designations, fees and ward boundaries 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 - all wards but 2. 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.