HMO Licence in Barking and Dagenham: Fee, Who Needs One and How to Apply

The fee, from Barking and Dagenham’s own page

'Mandatory HMO Licence Fees. Size of HMO | Application fee - Part A | Part B payment | Fee for specialist assistance with application (including form completion). Up to 5 habitable rooms £1000 £500 £170 + £10 per room. 6 to 9 habitable rooms £1000 £600 £180 + £10 per room. 10 to 14 habitable rooms £1000 £700 £190 + £10 per room. 15 to 19 habitable rooms £1000 £800 £200 + £10 per room. 20 or more habitable rooms £1000 £1000 £210 + £10 per room.' (Up to 5 rooms: Part A £1,000 + Part B £500 = £1,500 total.)

All three scheme types (mandatory, additional, selective) captured with explicit fee tables. Selective scheme has an explicit effective date (6 April 2025).

Barking and Dagenham’s new-licence fee sits above the median of the 34 councils whose fee we could read from their own pages (£1,364). The cheapest verified is Islington at £288 and the dearest Lambeth at £2,530; fee structures differ — some charge per room or in occupancy bands, so a large HMO can cost far more than the headline figure above.

Who needs a licence in Barking and Dagenham

The national rule is the same everywhere in England and Wales — gov.uk: “You must have a licence if you’re renting out a large HMO in England or Wales. Your property is defined as a large HMO if all of the following apply: it is rented to 5 or more people who form more than 1 household; some or all tenants share toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities; at least 1 tenant pays rent (or their employer pays it for them).” … “A licence is valid for a maximum of 5 years. You must renew your licence before it runs out. You need a separate licence for each HMO you run.” Whether a smaller shared house needs a licence depends on whether the council runs an additional or selective scheme:

Additional licensing (smaller HMOs): yes. Borough-wide (per a 2024 council news release: 'new additional HMO Licensing Scheme to improve standards of shared homes'). Fee £1,400. 'Discretionary Scheme Fees. Type of licence | Part A | Part B. ... Additional HMO £1000 £400.' Total £1,400. Check the scheme map before letting to three or four sharers.

Selective licensing (all private lets in an area): yes. Borough-wide (per a 2025 council news release: 'new Selective Licensing Scheme to improve private housing standards'). Scheme dates: from 2025-04-06. Fee £950. 'Discretionary Scheme Fees. Type of licence | Part A | Part B. Selective (effective from 6 April 2025) £650 £300.' Total £950. Inside a selective area every private tenancy needs a licence, HMO or not.

Letting a licensable HMO without a licence is an offence; the penalties, rent repayment orders and the fee’s tax treatment are on the HMO licence in England guide.

The Barking and Dagenham numbers around an HMO

• How many HMOs: the council estimated 640 HMOs in Barking and Dagenham, of which 320 were mandatory-licensable and 138 licences had been issued (LAHS 2024-25, MHCLG) — every council’s figures.
• Rents: the average 4+-bedroom rent in Barking and Dagenham is £2,516 a month (ONS, July 2026) against £1,696 across all sizes — rents, prices and yield in Barking and Dagenham.
• EPC: 42% of EPCs lodged here in the last year were below band C, the level a rented home needs by 1 October 2030 (EPC ratings in Barking and Dagenham).
• Council tax: Band D is £2,199 for 2026/27; in an HMO let room by room the landlord is usually the liable person (council tax in Barking & Dagenham).

How to apply

Applications go to the council, not to a national body. Have the floor plans, gas and electrical certificates, fire-safety details and the manager’s details ready; most councils take a non-refundable first payment on submission and the balance on grant (the quote above shows where Barking and Dagenham splits its fee, if it does).

Apply or check on Barking and Dagenham’s site

All councils compared · Student HMOs and Ground 4A · Renters’ Rights Act rules