Selective licensing Enfield: the new 2026 scheme explained

Landlord licence Enfield at a glance

Sources: Enfield Council pages listed under Sources, checked 21 October 2026.

How big is the private rented sector in Enfield?

The 2021 Census counted 120,923 households in Enfield, and 35,388 of them (29.3%) rented from a private landlord or letting agent, or rented privately in another way. Across England and Wales the figure was 20.3%, so Enfield's private rented share is well above the national average. Enfield had the 27th largest number of private renting households of any of the 331 local authorities, and the 28th highest share. 63,347 households (52.4%) were owner-occupiers and 20,573 (17.0%) were social renters.

Selective licensing in Enfield

Enfield's selective licensing applies to all privately rented homes occupied by 1 or 2 people, or by a single family household, in the 17 wards above. Each property needs its own licence. Where several flats in one building are owned and managed by the same person, the building may qualify for a single licence, but the council recommends contacting it first, as individual licences make it easier to sell or change agent for one flat. A licence usually lasts 5 years from issue.

To check an address, use the map on the council's selective licensing page, or email prsh@enfield.gov.uk with the full address. The council aims to process applications within 60 working days. There's no tacit consent, so you can't assume a licence is granted because you haven't heard back.

Enfield additional HMO licensing

Additional HMO licensing applies across the whole borough and runs to 31 August 2030. It covers HMOs outside mandatory licensing, typically 3 or 4 sharers from 2 or more households. A property licensed under Enfield's mandatory or additional HMO schemes doesn't need a selective licence as well; each property is subject to only one type of licence.

Enfield landlord licence fees

Selective licence: £750, paid as £450 Part 1 (on application, non-refundable) and £300 Part 2 (when the draft licence is issued, collected automatically). Discounts: £50 off Part 2 for accredited landlords (LLAS, NRLA, UKALA or BLA) or members of ARLA Propertymark or Safeagent; £100 for an EPC rated C or above; and £100 off Part 1 for each additional flat in the same building owned and managed by the same person. Discounts aren't applied if the council has made 2 requests for documents or sent a warning letter for failing to license.

Additional HMO licence: £1,450 per property, paid as £800 with the application and £650 when granted, with discounts on the second part (£50 for accreditation and £100 for EPC C or above), according to the council's redesignation report.

Councils usually split a licence fee into two parts: one paid when you apply, covering processing, and one paid before the licence is granted, covering running and enforcing the scheme. Where the council publishes the split, we show it above. Fees are reviewed regularly, so treat these as correct on the date we checked and confirm on the council's fee page before you pay.

Do I need a landlord licence in Enfield? A quick check

1. Count the people and households living in the property.
2. If 5 or more people from 2 or more households share facilities, you need a mandatory HMO licence.
3. If 3 or 4 people from 2 or more households share, you need an additional HMO licence anywhere in Enfield.
4. If 1 or 2 people or a single family live there, and it's in one of the 17 selective wards, you need a selective licence.
5. Not sure of the ward? Use the council's map or email prsh@enfield.gov.uk.

People also ask about landlord licensing in Enfield

Do I need a landlord licence in Enfield? Yes for any shared house, and from 1 September 2026 for single-household lets in 17 wards.

Which Enfield wards are in selective licensing? Bowes, Brimsdown, Bullsmoor, Carterhatch, Edmonton Green, Enfield Lock, Haselbury, Jubilee, Lower Edmonton, Ponders End, Southbury, Upper Edmonton, Whitewebbs, New Southgate, Palmers Green, Southgate and Town.

How much is an Enfield selective licence? £750 (£450 plus £300), before discounts.

What every Enfield landlord must do, licence or not

A property licence doesn't replace the national rules; it adds to them. In Enfield, as everywhere in England, a landlord must also:

• get an annual gas safety check from a Gas Safe registered engineer and hand tenants the record;
• arrange an electrical installation condition report (EICR) at least every 5 years;
• let only with an EPC of band E or better, unless an exemption is registered;
• protect a tenancy deposit within 30 days in an approved scheme;
• provide working smoke alarms on each storey and carbon monoxide alarms where there's a fixed combustion appliance, other than a gas cooker;
• check every adult tenant's Right to Rent before the tenancy begins.

Licence applications in most councils ask you to upload the gas record, EICR and EPC, so having them in date before you apply saves a round of requests.

What happens if you let without the right licence in Enfield?

Councils treat unlicensed letting seriously. It's a criminal offence that can lead to prosecution and an unlimited fine, or a civil penalty of up to £40,000 per offence (the maximum rose from £30,000 on 1 May 2026). Tenants can also ask the First-tier Tribunal for a rent repayment order of up to 24 months' rent. Councils including Westminster, Brighton & Hove and Islington spell these figures out on their licensing pages. A duly made application is your protection, so don't wait for the council to find the property first.

Keeping to your licence conditions

Getting the licence is a one-off; keeping to its conditions lasts the life of the licence, which is usually up to 5 years. Conditions commonly require you to produce a current gas safety certificate on request, keep alarms in working order, supply electrical test results, and manage repairs and tenancy paperwork properly.

Gaffy is built for that ongoing part. You keep each property's gas certificate, EICR, EPC and licence in one vault with expiry dates, and Gaffy warns you before anything runs out. Tenants report repairs from a link that opens in their phone's browser, so every problem arrives with photos and a date, and you can show the council a clear repair log. It costs £12 a month for up to 5 properties and £4 a month for each additional property, with the first month free. We don't make licence applications for you.