RM8: letting and licensing

It depends on the exact street and property type. London Borough of Barking & Dagenham runs both selective licensing (drawn at ward or street level) and additional HMO licensing (drawn block-by-block). National duties apply regardless: Gas Safety, EICR, EPC band E, deposit protection, Right to Rent and smoke + CO alarms. Run the full postal address on the council checker before assuming no licence applies in RM8.

It depends on the exact address and property type. London Borough of Barking & Dagenham publishes a postcode or ward checker. RM8 includes Dagenham, Becontree. Run the full postal address on the council checker before assuming no licence is required: designations are drawn by ward or street, not by postcode.

England-wide duties apply regardless of local licensing: Gas Safety (annual CP12), EICR every 5 years, EPC band E minimum (MEES), deposit protection within 30 days, Right to Rent checks before move-in, and smoke + CO alarm rules. Each carries its own fine or penalty, and a deposit left unprotected, or prescribed information never given, also stops a Section 8 possession order.

Student, HMO-dense and regeneration postcodes in London typically see more unannounced inspections, licence audits and follow-ups from environmental health. Keep certificates, licences and tenant documents in one place and renew before expiry. Unlicensed letting can attract civil penalties up to £40,000 and Rent Repayment Orders of up to two years' rent.

The fee is set by London Borough of Barking & Dagenham for each scheme it runs, and it is usually split into an amount payable with the application and a second amount payable before the licence is granted. Some councils discount an early renewal or an accredited landlord. Where we have the current figure it is printed on the council page above; otherwise take it from the council's own fees page, because fees change between designations.

If the council area is subject to an Article 4 Direction for C3 to C4 use, you need full planning permission to let to 3 or more unrelated sharers. London Borough of Barking & Dagenham publishes its Article 4 map. Large HMOs (sui generis, 7+ sharers) always need planning permission.

No. Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026 across England, including London, and every assured shorthold tenancy became an assured periodic tenancy, so possession now runs on a Section 8 ground. The deposit still matters: section 215 of the Housing Act 2004, as substituted by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, blocks a possession order while a deposit is unprotected or the prescribed information has not been given, on every ground except 7A and 14. A missing gas record or EPC does not bar a Section 8 claim, though it is an offence in its own right and a tenant can raise it in defence of a disrepair or possession case.

Specialist landlord buildings insurance with landlord liability (often £2m+), optional contents for furnished items, loss of rent and legal expenses. For HMOs, check the insurer explicitly covers HMO use and the number of occupants - standard buy-to-let policies often exclude HMOs.

RM8 is in the London region. Registration becomes required there on 15 July 2027, and the deadline is 14 October 2027. Any property can be registered earlier, from 15 December 2026. The fee is £65 a year for each property, and the date follows where the property is, not where the landlord lives. While a let that should be registered is not, a court cannot make a possession order for it, except on the antisocial behaviour grounds.