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

The fee, from Camden’s own page

'HMO licensing fees 2025/26... From 24 April 2025, the following application fees apply for all types of licensable HMOs... Standard fees for new HMO applications: House or flat in multiple occupation (section 254): Part 1 £1,297, Part 2 £234, Total £1,531. Converted building into flats (section 257): Part 1 £1,297, Part 2 £234, Total £1,531. Purpose-built student accommodation: Part 1 £1,297, Part 2 £84, Total £1,381.' 'Standard fees for licence renewal applications' shows identical figures to the new-application table.

Explicit effective date (24 April 2025) quoted. New and renewal fees are identical per the document's own tables.

Camden’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 Camden

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. As designated within the London Borough of Camden (specific wards not extracted). Fee £1,531. Fee document explicitly covers 'both mandatory and additional licensing' under the same fee table. Check the scheme map before letting to three or four sharers.

Selective licensing (all private lets in an area): not confirmed either way on the pages we read — check the council’s licensing pages before letting to fewer than five.

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 Camden numbers around an HMO

• How many HMOs: the council estimated 8,000 HMOs in Camden, of which 600 were mandatory-licensable and 316 licences had been issued (LAHS 2024-25, MHCLG) — every council’s figures.
• Rents: the average 4+-bedroom rent in Camden is £3,942 a month (ONS, July 2026) against £2,800 across all sizes — rents, prices and yield in Camden.
• EPC: 36% 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 Camden).
• Council tax: Band D is £2,208 for 2026/27; in an HMO let room by room the landlord is usually the liable person (council tax in Camden).

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 Camden splits its fee, if it does).

Apply or check on Camden’s site

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