HMO Licence in Islington: Fee, Who Needs One and How to Apply
A new mandatory HMO licence in Islington costs £288, renewal £288, on the council’s own fee page read 5 September 2026.
The fee, from Islington’s own page
| New application | £288 |
| Renewal | £288 |
| Fee structure | per-room |
| Licence length | not stated (gov.uk maximum is 5) |
| Cost per year of licence | — |
| Against the 34 councils with a verified fee | 34 of 34 (1 = dearest); median £1,364 |
'Fees are split into 2 parts: Part A - taken at the point of application; Part B - taken if the council approves the issue of the draft licence.' Standard HMO: Part A £162/letting, Part B £126/letting, Total £288/letting. ATLAS/LLAS-accredited licence holder or manager: Part A £138, Part B £107, Total £245/letting. Assisted application: additional £352/HMO. Separately, Section 257 HMOs (converted buildings not compliant with 1991 Building Regs): Standard £394+£309=£703/building; accredited £335+£262=£597/building.
PDF file path suggests a '2024/2025' fee year but the visible cover page text labels the period '1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025' -- i.e. Three distinct fee tracks captured: standard S254 HMO (per letting), S257 converted-building HMO (per building), and selective/whole-house licensing (per house).
Islington’s new-licence fee sits below 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 Islington
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. 'Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2020' (borough-wide or designated area, not disambiguated in extracted text). Scheme dates: from 2020-01-01. Fee £288. Same per-letting fee schedule (£288 standard / £245 accredited) applies to both mandatory and additional S254 HMOs per the document title. Exact 2020 scheme start day/month not given in extracted text. Check the scheme map before letting to three or four sharers.
Selective licensing (all private lets in an area): yes. Designated selective licensing area (whole-house licensing). Fee £800. 'Standard house: Part A £450, Part B £350, Total £800/house.' ATLAS/LLAS-accredited: £410+£315=£725/house. Applies where 'the whole house is occupied either under a single tenancy... or under two or more tenancies... none of which is an exempt tenancy'. 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 Islington numbers around an HMO
- How many HMOs: the council estimated 4,026 HMOs in Islington, of which 580 were mandatory-licensable and 573 licences had been issued (LAHS 2024-25, MHCLG) — every council’s figures.
- Rents: the average 4+-bedroom rent in Islington is £4,209 a month (ONS, July 2026) against £2,854 across all sizes — rents, prices and yield in Islington.
- EPC: 31% 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 Islington).
- Council tax: Band D is £2,108 for 2026/27; in an HMO let room by room the landlord is usually the liable person (council tax in Islington).
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 Islington splits its fee, if it does).
Apply or check on Islington’s site
All councils compared · Student HMOs and Ground 4A · Renters’ Rights Act rules
Asked about HMO licences in Islington
£288 for a new application and £288 to renew, according to the council's own fee page read 5 September 2026.
gov.uk sets a maximum of 5 years; the council page we read did not state the length.
Possibly — the council runs additional licensing ('Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2020' (borough-wide or designated area, not disambiguated in extracted text)).
On the council's own site: https://www.islington.gov.uk/housing/private-sector-housing/landlords/houses-in-multiple-occupation
Sources
Read 5 September 2026 on the council’s own site. National rule: House in multiple occupation licence (GOV.UK). Fees change at each council’s budget; the council page is authoritative on the day you apply.