Brent has 3 discretionary licensing schemes on our record: additional HMO licensing (in force), selective licensing (in force). Mandatory HMO licensing applies everywhere in England to HMOs with 5 or more people in 2 or more households.
Selective: yesAdditional HMO: yesMandatory HMO: alwaysChecked 28 Sep 2026
| Area covered | Whole council area |
|---|---|
| Runs | 2 Feb 2026 to 1 Feb 2031 |
| Fee | £1,040 (Part A £540 + Part B £500) per property |
| Discounts | £40 accredited (LPL) |
| Renewal | £940 (LPL) |
Note from our check: all s257 HMOs included (LPL)
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Area covered | Listed wards only (3 wards) |
|---|---|
| Runs | 1 Aug 2023 to 31 Jul 2028 |
| Fee | £640 per property |
| Renewal | £600 (LPL) |
Harlesden & Kensal Green · Dollis Hill · Willesden Green
Ward or street lists can split a road. Use the council's own address checker or designation map before relying on this list.
Council licensing page Council address checker
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Area covered | Whole area except listed wards (18 wards included) |
|---|---|
| Designation made | 30 Nov 2023 |
| Runs | 1 Apr 2024 to 31 Mar 2029 |
| Fee | £640 per property |
Alperton · Barnhill · Brondesbury Park · Cricklewood & Mapesbury · Kenton · Kilburn · Kingsbury · Northwick Park · Preston · Queens Park · Queensbury · Roundwood · Stonebridge · Sudbury · Tokyngton · Welsh Harp · Wembley Central · Wembley Hill
Ward or street lists can split a road. Use the council's own address checker or designation map before relying on this list.
Note from our check: excluded ward: Wembley Park. Ward list from LPL
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Date | What | Scheme | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Jul 2028 estimated (start + 5 years) in 672 days | scheme end | Selective licensing | council |
| 31 Mar 2029 estimated (start + 5 years) in 915 days | scheme end | Selective licensing | council |
| 1 Feb 2031 estimated (start + 5 years) in 1587 days | scheme end | Additional HMO licensing | council |
Want a reminder before a deadline? Use the form at the bottom of this page and pick "Email me before my deadlines".
Whatever the local schemes, a licence is required for any house in multiple occupation let to 5 or more people forming 2 or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. This rule is national and has applied since 1 October 2018. Letting without a required licence is a criminal offence under section 72 of the Housing Act 2004. Read do I need an HMO licence? and how to apply.
We did not find an online public register for Brent. Every council must keep one (Housing Act 2004, s.232) and make it available for inspection; ask the council's private sector housing team.
Official planning data lists 1 HMO Article 4 area for Brent. Inside these areas, turning a family house (use class C3) into a small HMO (C4) needs planning permission.
| HMO Article 4 area | In effect from | Document |
|---|---|---|
| Article 4 for HMOs | 1 Nov 2022 | view |
Licensing and planning are separate. A licence does not give planning permission, and planning permission does not replace a licence. See Article 4 and HMOs.
Figures below count First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) decisions published on GOV.UK for properties located in Brent. They show how tenants and the council use enforcement here. Most civil penalties are paid without appeal, so they never reach the tribunal.
| Rent repayment order decisions | 24 (9 in the last 3 years) |
|---|---|
| Orders made | 20 (90.9% of decisions with a known outcome) |
| Median award | £7,516 (last 3 years: £7,083) |
| Total awarded | £190,367 |
| Civil penalty appeals | 4 |
| Penalty upheld (in full or reduced) | 100% · confirmed in full 50% |
| Median penalty: council's notice / after tribunal | £5,000 / £5,000 |
| Other Housing Act appeals (licence terms, notices, orders) | 3 |
| Decided | Area | Property | Offence alleged | Outcome | Amount | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jun 2025 | NW6 | Flat | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Refused | — | GOV.UK |
| 30 Jan 2025 | NW2 | HMO | unlicensed HMO; failure to comply with improvement notice; HMO management regulations | See decision | — | GOV.UK |
| 23 Jan 2025 | NW6 | HMO | unlicensed HMO; unlawful eviction / harassment | Order made | £4,076 | GOV.UK |
| 30 Oct 2024 | HA9 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | Order made | £7,083 | GOV.UK |
| 2 May 2024 | NW10 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | Order made | £13,500 | GOV.UK |
| Decided | Area | Offence | Outcome | Council's penalty | After tribunal | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Feb 2024 | HA9 | breach of licence conditions; HMO management regulations | Penalty confirmed | £5,000 | £5,000 | GOV.UK |
| 16 Oct 2023 | HA9 | unlicensed HMO | Penalty varied | — | — | GOV.UK |
| 27 Jul 2023 | NW2 | not extracted | See decision | — | £250 | GOV.UK |
| 19 Oct 2022 | HA0 | unlicensed HMO; breach of licence conditions; HMO management regulations | See decision | — | £25,000 | GOV.UK |
Amounts and outcomes are extracted automatically from the decision text and can be wrong; open the decision on GOV.UK for the full reasons. Party names are not shown. Information, not legal advice.
If you have let without a licence you needed, read unlicensed property: what to do, rent repayment orders and civil penalties.
Brent is in the London region of the new Private Rented Sector Database. Registration opens 15 Jul 2027 and the deadline to register is 14 Oct 2027. The published fee is £65 per property per year. Database registration is separate from council licensing: you may need both. See register your rental property.
We can prepare a licence application for you for a fixed fee; the council's own fee is separate. See pricing for what is included and how we make money. You can also run a full address check on the postcode checker.
Yes. Designation 1: in force until 31 Jul 2028 (part of the area); Designation 2: in force until 31 Mar 2029 (part of the area). Check the council's map or address checker to confirm your street.
Additional HMO licensing: £1,040 (per property); Selective licensing: £640 (per property); Selective licensing: £640 (per property). Fees for mandatory HMO licences are set by the council and published on its fees page.
Official planning data lists 1 HMO Article 4 area for Brent. Inside these areas, turning a family house (use class C3) into a small HMO (C4) needs planning permission.
The First-tier Tribunal has published 24 rent repayment order decisions for properties in Brent (20 with an order made), median award £7,516, and 4 civil penalty appeals. Most penalties are never appealed, so the true number of fines is higher.
Related: selective licensing in England · additional HMO licensing · HMO licence cost · HMO rules · HMO hub
Last checked 28 Sep 2026. Information, not legal advice. Licensing schemes change often; always confirm with the council before you act.