Hackney has 2 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 | 1 May 2026 to 30 Apr 2031 |
| Fee | £1,400 (Part A £840 + Part B £560) per property |
| Discounts | EPC B+ £100 off B; EPC C £50 off B; accredited £100 off B; multi-dwelling £100 off A |
Note from our check: s257 excluded (LPL)
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Area covered | Listed wards only (17 wards) |
|---|---|
| Runs | 1 May 2026 to 30 Apr 2031 |
| Fee | £925 (Part A £555 + Part B £370) per property |
| Discounts | EPC B+ £100 off B; EPC C £50 off B; accredited £100 off B; multi-dwelling £100 off A |
Brownswood · Cazenove · Clissold · Dalston · De Beauvoir · Hackney Central · Hackney Downs · Hackney Wick · Homerton · King's Park · Lea Bridge · London Fields · Shacklewell · Springfield · Stamford Hill West · Stoke Newington · Victoria
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.
| Date | What | Scheme | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Apr 2031 estimated (start + 5 years) in 1675 days | scheme end | Additional HMO licensing | council |
| 30 Apr 2031 estimated (start + 5 years) in 1675 days | scheme end | Selective 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 Hackney. Every council must keep one (Housing Act 2004, s.232) and make it available for inspection; ask the council's private sector housing team.
Hackney publishes Article 4 data to the national planning data platform, but none of its 139 published areas are labelled as an HMO direction. That does not prove there is no HMO Article 4 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 Hackney. 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 | 65 (33 in the last 3 years) |
|---|---|
| Orders made | 53 (85.5% of decisions with a known outcome) |
| Median award | £10,415 (last 3 years: £12,450) |
| Total awarded | £717,042 |
| Civil penalty appeals | 5 |
| Penalty upheld (in full or reduced) | 100% · confirmed in full 20% |
| Median penalty: council's notice / after tribunal | £7,500 / £7,500 |
| Other Housing Act appeals (licence terms, notices, orders) | 2 |
| Decided | Area | Property | Offence alleged | Outcome | Amount | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Jan 2026 | N16 | HMO | unlicensed HMO; unlicensed (selective licensing) | Order made | £6,534 | GOV.UK |
| 9 Dec 2025 | E9 | HMO | unlicensed HMO; unlicensed (selective licensing); failure to comply with improvement notice; breach of banning order | Order made | £6,209 | GOV.UK |
| 22 Oct 2025 | N16 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | Order made | £11,218 | GOV.UK |
| 5 Oct 2025 | E5 | HMO | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Order made | £3,278 | GOV.UK |
| 9 Sept 2025 | E9 | HMO | unlicensed HMO; unlicensed (selective licensing); unlawful eviction / harassment; failure to comply with improvement notice; breach of banning order | Refused | — | GOV.UK |
| Decided | Area | Offence | Outcome | Council's penalty | After tribunal | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Jul 2023 | N16 | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Penalty varied | — | £5,000 | GOV.UK |
| 2 Jun 2023 | N16 | unlicensed (selective licensing) | Penalty varied | £7,500 | £4,500 | GOV.UK |
| 14 Dec 2022 | N16 | unlicensed (selective licensing); failure to comply with improvement notice; HMO management regulations | Penalty confirmed | £7,500 | £7,500 | GOV.UK |
| 26 Jul 2022 | N4 | unlicensed (selective licensing); HMO management regulations | See decision | £7,500 | — | GOV.UK |
| 17 Jun 2022 | N4 | unlicensed (selective licensing) | See decision | £7,500 | — | 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.
Hackney 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. in force until 30 Apr 2031 (part of the area). Check the council's map or address checker to confirm your street.
Additional HMO licensing: £1,400 (per property); Selective licensing: £925 (per property). Fees for mandatory HMO licences are set by the council and published on its fees page.
Hackney publishes Article 4 data to the national planning data platform, but none of its 139 published areas are labelled as an HMO direction. That does not prove there is no HMO Article 4 direction: check the council's planning pages.
The First-tier Tribunal has published 65 rent repayment order decisions for properties in Hackney (53 with an order made), median award £10,415, and 5 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.