Selective licensing Islington: current and new schemes

Landlord licence Islington at a glance

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

How big is the private rented sector in Islington?

Islington had 30,079 privately renting households at the 2021 Census, out of 96,496 in total: 31.2% of all households, against 20.3% for England and Wales. That puts Islington 38th of 331 local authorities by number of private renting households and 22nd by share. Owner-occupiers made up 26.7% (25,740 households) and social renters 40.2% (38,787).

Selective licensing in Islington: current and new wards

Selective licensing covers all accommodation for private rent occupied by 1 or 2 people, related or unrelated, or by a single family or household. The current scheme applies in Finsbury Park, Hillrise and Tollington. The new designation applies in Barnsbury, Caledonian, Highbury, Junction, Laycock, Mildmay and Tufnell Park; the scheme and its licences start at midnight on 23 November 2026, and landlords have been able to apply since 7 September 2026. Applying before the start date is the simplest way to avoid letting unlicensed. Wards not listed, such as Clerkenwell, Bunhill and St Mary's and St James', don't need a selective licence.

Islington additional and mandatory HMO licensing

Additional licensing covers houses or flats with 3 or 4 unrelated people in 2 or more households sharing a kitchen, bathroom or toilet; buildings of bedsits or non-self-contained flats with 3 or 4 such occupiers; section 257 converted buildings under single ownership where the conversion doesn't meet the 1991 Building Regulations and all flats are tenanted; and flats in purpose-built blocks let to 3 or 4 unrelated people. The council's 2026 designation runs from 1 February 2026 to 31 January 2031. Mandatory licensing covers the same property types with 5 or more people.

Islington landlord licence fees

According to Islington's property licensing fees document, a selective licence costs £850 (£450 on application and £400 when a draft licence is issued), with possible discounts on Part B. The additional HMO fee is £900 plus £100 per letting, capped at 21 lettings. Check the current fees on the council's site before you apply, as it updates them each financial year.

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 Islington? A quick check

1. Count the people and households living in the property.
2. If 5 or more unrelated people in 2 or more households share facilities, you need a mandatory HMO licence.
3. If 3 or 4 unrelated people share, you need an additional HMO licence anywhere in Islington.
4. If 1 or 2 people or a single household live there, and it's in Finsbury Park, Hillrise or Tollington, you need a selective licence now.
5. If it's in Barnsbury, Caledonian, Highbury, Junction, Laycock, Mildmay or Tufnell Park, you need a selective licence from 23 November 2026. Apply now.

People also ask about landlord licensing in Islington

Do I need a landlord licence in Islington? For shared houses, yes, anywhere. For single-household lets, yes in Finsbury Park, Hillrise and Tollington, and from 23 November 2026 in seven more wards.

When does Islington's new selective licensing start? At midnight on 23 November 2026. Applications opened on 7 September 2026.

How much is an Islington selective licence? £850 (£450 plus £400), according to the council's fees document.

What every Islington landlord must do, licence or not

Whatever the licensing position for your street, the core safety and paperwork duties for Islington landlords are the same as anywhere in England:

• gas safety: a Gas Safe check every 12 months, with the record given to tenants;
• electrical safety: an EICR at least every 5 years, with a copy to tenants;
• energy: an EPC of at least band E, unless the property is exempt;
• deposits: protected in an approved scheme within 30 days, with the prescribed information served;
• alarms: a smoke alarm on every storey with living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in rooms with a fixed combustion appliance (except gas cookers);
• Right to Rent: checks on all adult occupiers before the tenancy starts.

These are also the documents a council is most likely to ask for when it processes an application or carries out a compliance visit.

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

If a property needs a licence and doesn't have one, the landlord commits an offence. The council can prosecute (with an unlimited fine on conviction) or issue a civil penalty of up to £40,000, the limit that has applied since 1 May 2026, and tenants can claim back up to 24 months' rent through a rent repayment order. Islington, Westminster and Brighton & Hove are among the councils that publish these limits. Applying promptly matters: the offence is avoided once a valid application has been made.

Keeping to your licence conditions

Councils grant most licences for up to 5 years and attach conditions, such as providing a gas safety certificate each year on request, maintaining smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, producing electrical safety reports, and handling repairs promptly. Inspectors check these against your records.

Gaffy keeps those records in order. Upload each certificate once, tag its expiry date, and Gaffy tells you what's expired or coming up, property by property. Tenants send repair requests with photos through a simple link, with no app to install, so you build a dated history of what was reported and when it was fixed. Pricing is £12 a month for up to 5 properties, then £4 a month per extra property, and your first month is free. We don't submit licence applications on your behalf.