Merton 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 | Listed wards only (7 wards) |
|---|---|
| Runs | 24 Sept 2023 to 23 Sept 2028 |
| Fee | £1,450 £1,450-£1,550 by bedrooms (2-4) |
| Discounts | £50 accredited |
Colliers Wood · Cricket Green · Figge's Marsh · Graveney · Lavender Fields · Longthornton · Pollards 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: start/fee LPL
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Area covered | Listed wards only (4 wards) |
|---|---|
| Runs | 24 Sept 2023 to 23 Sept 2028 |
| Fee | £692 per property |
| Discounts | £50 accredited |
Figge's Marsh · Graveney · Longthornton · Pollards Hill
Ward or street lists can split a road. Use the council's own address checker or designation map before relying on this list.
Checked 28 Sept 2026.
| Date | What | Scheme | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Sept 2028 estimated (start + 5 years) in 726 days | scheme end | Additional HMO licensing | council |
| 23 Sept 2028 estimated (start + 5 years) in 726 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 Merton. 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 2 HMO Article 4 areas for Merton. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate article 4 direction for small houses in multiple occupation (HMO) - 2022 | — | view |
| Immediate article 4 direction for small houses in multiple occupation (HMO) - 2026 | — | 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 Merton. 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 | 9 (3 in the last 3 years) |
|---|---|
| Orders made | 5 (62.5% of decisions with a known outcome) |
| Median award | £7,691 (last 3 years: £17,750) |
| Total awarded | £39,759 |
| Civil penalty appeals | 1 |
| Median penalty: council's notice / after tribunal | £12,500 / £22,500 |
| Other Housing Act appeals (licence terms, notices, orders) | 4 |
| Decided | Area | Property | Offence alleged | Outcome | Amount | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Oct 2025 | SW19 | HMO | unlicensed HMO; unlawful eviction / harassment | Refused | — | GOV.UK |
| 2 Feb 2024 | SW17 | HMO | unlicensed HMO; unlicensed (selective licensing); unlawful eviction / harassment; failure to comply with improvement notice; breach of banning order; violence for securing entry | Refused | — | GOV.UK |
| 29 Sept 2023 | SW19 | HMO | unlicensed HMO; unlicensed (selective licensing); unlawful eviction / harassment; failure to comply with improvement notice; breach of banning order | Order made | £17,750 | GOV.UK |
| 26 Oct 2021 | SW20 | HMO | unlicensed HMO | See decision | — | GOV.UK |
| 1 Sept 2021 | SW19 | HMO | not extracted | Order made | £4,400 | GOV.UK |
| Decided | Area | Offence | Outcome | Council's penalty | After tribunal | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Oct 2025 | CR4 | unlicensed HMO | See decision | £12,500 | £22,500 | 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.
Merton 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 23 Sept 2028 (part of the area). Check the council's map or address checker to confirm your street.
Additional HMO licensing: £1,450 (£1,450-£1,550 by bedrooms (2-4)); Selective licensing: £692 (per property). Fees for mandatory HMO licences are set by the council and published on its fees page.
Official planning data lists 2 HMO Article 4 areas for Merton. Inside these areas, turning a family house (use class C3) into a small HMO (C4) needs planning permission.
The First-tier Tribunal has published 9 rent repayment order decisions for properties in Merton (5 with an order made), median award £7,691, and 1 civil penalty appeal. 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.