Greenwich has 2 discretionary licensing schemes on our record: additional HMO licensing (in force), selective licensing (in force). A new scheme is being consulted on or awaiting a decision. 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 |
|---|---|
| Designation made | 20 Sept 2023 |
| Runs | 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2028 |
| Fee | £2,639 £527.82 per letting (5 lettings); 6+ lettings £316.69 per extra letting; half on application, half at draft licence |
Council licensing page Designation notice Public register
Note from our check: old 15% nominated-tenant discount not mentioned on current fee page
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Area covered | Part of the council area (5 wards) |
|---|---|
| Runs | 1 Oct 2022 to 30 Sept 2027 |
| Fee | £906 per property; half on application, half at draft licence |
Woolwich Riverside · Woolwich Common · Shooters Hill · Plumstead Common · Plumstead Glyndon
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 Public register
Note from our check: consultation page: parts of six pre-2023 wards (Plumstead and Glyndon, Plumstead Common, Shooters Hill, Woolwich Common, Woolwich Arsenal, Woolwich Dockyard); use council lookup
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Area covered | Part of the council area (18 wards) |
|---|---|
| Consultation | 21 Jul 2026 to 12 Oct 2026 |
| Proposed fee | £974 (Part A £407 + Part B £567) proposed |
| Discounts | proposed 10% accredited |
Abbey Wood · Charlton Village & Riverside · Plumstead & Glyndon · Thamesmead Moorings · Woolwich Common · Woolwich Dockyard · Woolwich Arsenal (southern part) · Blackheath Westcombe · Charlton Hornfair · East Greenwich · Eltham Town & Avery Hill · Greenwich Park · Kidbrooke Park · Plumstead Common · Shooters Hill · West Thamesmead · Eltham Page · Middle Park & Horn Park
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 Public register
Note from our check: would replace 2022 scheme; Cabinet report "towards the end of 2026"; designations 1 (7 incl. part Woolwich Arsenal) / 2 (9) / 3 (2)
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Date | What | Scheme | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Oct 2026 in 14 days | consultation close | Selective licensing | council |
| 30 Sept 2027 estimated (start + 5 years) in 367 days | scheme end | Selective licensing | council |
| 31 Dec 2028 estimated (start + 5 years) in 825 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.
The council's public register of licensed properties: Royal Borough of Greenwich public register. Use it to check whether a property already holds a licence, for example before you buy. Licences do not transfer to a new owner.
Greenwich does not publish Article 4 data to the national planning data platform, so we cannot tell you from official data whether an HMO Article 4 direction applies. Absence of data is not absence of a direction: check the council's planning pages.
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 Greenwich. 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 | 35 (11 in the last 3 years) |
|---|---|
| Orders made | 26 (81.2% of decisions with a known outcome) |
| Median award | £5,060 (last 3 years: £4,820) |
| Total awarded | £123,909 |
| Civil penalty appeals | 9 |
| Penalty upheld (in full or reduced) | 100% · confirmed in full 42.9% |
| Median penalty: council's notice / after tribunal | £10,000 / £8,750 |
| Other Housing Act appeals (licence terms, notices, orders) | 6 |
| Decided | Area | Property | Offence alleged | Outcome | Amount | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jun 2026 | SE10 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | Refused | — | GOV.UK |
| 19 Apr 2026 | SE10 | Flat | unlawful eviction / harassment | Refused | — | GOV.UK |
| 17 Mar 2026 | SE10 | HMO | unlawful eviction / harassment | Order made | £4,050 | GOV.UK |
| 2 Dec 2025 | SE18 | HMO | not extracted | Order made | £3,251 | GOV.UK |
| 4 Nov 2025 | SE10 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | Order made | £5,300 | GOV.UK |
| Decided | Area | Offence | Outcome | Council's penalty | After tribunal | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Dec 2025 | SE18 | unlicensed (selective licensing); failure to comply with improvement notice; HMO management regulations | Penalty varied | £10,000 | £7,500 | GOV.UK |
| 18 Dec 2025 | SE18 | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Penalty confirmed | £750 | £750 | GOV.UK |
| 1 Sept 2025 | SE18 | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Penalty confirmed | £3,500 | £3,500 | GOV.UK |
| 6 Feb 2025 | SE28 | unlicensed HMO | Penalty varied | — | £10,000 | GOV.UK |
| 20 Dec 2022 | SE18 | unlawful eviction / harassment; failure to comply with improvement notice | See decision | — | — | GOV.UK |
| 20 Jun 2022 | SE28 | unlicensed HMO | Penalty varied | £10,000 | £5,000 | GOV.UK |
| 2 Aug 2021 | SE18 | not extracted | Withdrawn / struck out | — | £10,000 | GOV.UK |
| 25 May 2021 | SE18 | unlicensed HMO; failure to comply with improvement notice; HMO management regulations | Penalty confirmed | £10,000 | £10,000 | 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.
Greenwich 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. 2022 scheme (5 wards, parts): in force until 30 Sept 2027 (part of the area). Check the council's map or address checker to confirm your street.
Additional HMO licensing: £2,639 (£527.82 per letting (5 lettings); 6+ lettings £316.69 per extra letting; half on application, half at draft licence); Selective licensing: £906 (per property; half on application, half at draft licence). Fees for mandatory HMO licences are set by the council and published on its fees page.
Greenwich does not publish Article 4 data to the national planning data platform, so we cannot tell you from official data whether an HMO Article 4 direction applies. Absence of data is not absence of a direction: check the council's planning pages.
The council publishes its public register of licences here: Royal Borough of Greenwich register. Councils must keep a register of licences under section 232 of the Housing Act 2004.
The First-tier Tribunal has published 35 rent repayment order decisions for properties in Greenwich (26 with an order made), median award £5,060, and 9 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.