Selective licensing Lewisham: what landlords need to know

Landlord licence Lewisham at a glance

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

How big is the private rented sector in Lewisham?

The 2021 Census counted 122,393 households in Lewisham, and 33,289 of them (27.2%) rented from a private landlord or letting agent, or rented privately in another way. Across England and Wales the figure was 20.3%, so Lewisham's private rented share is well above the national average. Lewisham had the 31st largest number of private renting households of any of the 331 local authorities, and the 39th highest share. 51,230 households (41.9%) were owner-occupiers and 35,753 (29.2%) were social renters.

Selective licensing in Lewisham

Because the scheme covers more than 20% of the borough's private rented sector, it needed Secretary of State approval, which Lewisham received in December 2023, citing hazards, anti-social behaviour and deprivation. The scheme took effect on 1 July 2024. Nearly all privately rented homes not already covered by HMO licensing need a selective licence, whether let on a single tenancy or as separate units. Telegraph Hill and parts of Blackheath are outside it; the council's interactive map (the 'Selective Licensable Area' layer) confirms individual addresses.

Lodgers sharing your own home don't trigger selective licensing, though 2 or more lodgers may make the property an HMO. Each property needs its own licence, and you'll need the EPC, EICR and gas safety certificate (or a declaration of no gas supply) to apply. Non-UK residents must appoint a local agent. The council says a licence usually lasts 5 years.

Lewisham additional and mandatory HMO licensing

Properties rented to 3 or more people forming 2 or more households need an HMO licence. Smaller HMOs come under Lewisham's boroughwide additional scheme, which went live on 5 April 2022. Larger HMOs with 5 or more people need a mandatory licence. Both use the same fee structure, charged per lettable unit.

Lewisham landlord licence fees

Selective licence: £640, paid as £160 on application and £480 when granted. Discounts for early applications, accredited landlords (for example through LLAS or the NRLA) and eligible charities come off the second payment.

HMO licence (mandatory and additional), per lettable unit: standard £500 (£250 plus £250); accredited landlord £400 (£250 plus £150). A 5-room HMO at the standard rate would therefore cost £2,500. Lewisham gives no refund if an application is refused or the property stops needing a licence; a partial refund may be possible if you withdraw before a decision.

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 Lewisham? A quick check

1. Count the people and households living in the property.
2. If 3 or more people from 2 or more households share, you need an HMO licence: additional for 3 or 4 people, mandatory for 5 or more.
3. If it's any other private let, check the council's map. Almost everywhere outside Telegraph Hill and parts of Blackheath needs a selective licence.
4. If you only have a lodger in your own home, no selective licence is needed.
5. Get your EPC, EICR and gas certificate ready before applying.

People also ask about landlord licensing in Lewisham

Do I need a landlord licence in Lewisham? Almost certainly. Selective licensing covers nearly every private rented home, and HMO licensing covers every shared house.

How much is a Lewisham selective licence? £640: £160 on application and £480 when granted.

Which parts of Lewisham don't need a selective licence? The council names Telegraph Hill and parts of Blackheath as outside the scheme. Check the map for your address.

What every Lewisham landlord must do, licence or not

A property licence doesn't replace the national rules; it adds to them. In Lewisham, 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 Lewisham?

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.