Lambeth Council decides to extend selective licensing across most of the borough

Lambeth Council have decided to implement a second selective licensing scheme to extend selective licensing across most of the borough.

First selective licensing scheme already in place

On 2 September 2024 Lambeth Council introduced a selective licensing scheme covering the four council wards of Knights Hill, Streatham Common & Vale, Streatham Hill East and Streatham St Leonards (read here). Within the designated area, licensing was extended to all private rented homes occupied by a single family or two unrelated sharers.

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) also need to be licensed borough wide under the council’s mandatory HMO and additional licensing scheme.

Cabinet decides to expand selective licensing

On 4 November 2024, Lambeth’s Council’s Cabinet decided to implement a second selective licensing scheme covering most of the borough. The only two wards excluded from the scheme will be Waterloo and South Bank and Vauxhall.

Following a 12-week consultation earlier in the year, the council say almost two-thirds of residents and local businesses supported the proposed scheme.

With almost 50,000 private rented homes in Lambeth, this will be a huge licensing scheme covering tens of thousands of properties.

There will be a standard licence application fee of £923 per property, the highest fee in London, with some discounts available. The fee covers the cost of administering the licence over a five-year period and managing and enforcing the licensing scheme.

Despite just 20% of consultation respondent’s agreeing with the high fees, Lambeth Council say they have seen no evidence that landlords have increased rents to cover their licence fee costs or that landlords have moved elsewhere.

Scheme start date – July 2025?

Lambeth Council have said they intend to implement the new selective licensing scheme in July 2025.

Given the expansive nature of the scheme, they must first seek approval from the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). It is unknown how long that process will take.

Lambeth Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, Councillor Mahamed Hashi, said:

“We believe good quality housing is a right. Private Renting is often the only option for residents who can’t access social housing.

“Whilst most landlords provide good, safe accommodation, there are some who take advantage of tenants, or don’t know what their responsibilities are. That is why it’s important that the full range of powers is not only available to the Council, but readily used.

“We are committed to working with good landlords, helping them understand the legislative requirements; but we’re also committed to tackling those landlords that refuse to provide safe and healthy housing for tenants in Lambeth.”

Our free guide containing more information about property licensing and HMO planning restriction in Lambeth is available here.