London · Regeneration mixed-use
SE18: letting and licensing
- Council
- Royal Borough of Greenwich
- Profile
- Regeneration mixed-use
- Reviewed
Who rents here
Regeneration demand around Woolwich; every HMO in the borough is licensable.
Regeneration mixed-use
Recent regeneration mixes new-build flats with older converted HMO stock. Selective licensing applies block-by-block; new-build flats need FRAEW / EWS1, and the older converted stock needs full HMO compliance and fire risk assessment. Two compliance worlds coexist on the same street.
Coverage
What SE18 actually covers
Electoral wards touched by the outward code, from the ONS postcode directory, checked 18 September 2026. Licensing designations are drawn by ward, so this is the list to match your address against.
Before you let
The pre-tenancy checklist for SE18
Work through it before the property is advertised. One missed step can block a possession ground, trigger a Rent Repayment Order or void the insurance.
Confirm licensing type on the council checker
Open the Royal Borough of Greenwich landlord licensing page, run the full postal address inside SE18, and capture a dated screenshot of the result for your records.
Gas Safety (CP12) - annual
Valid Gas Safety Record in place; new tenants must receive a copy before move-in and current tenants within 28 days of the check.
EICR - every 5 years
Electrical Installation Condition Report must be satisfactory. Issue C1 / C2 remedials within 28 days and keep written confirmation.
EPC / MEES - band E minimum (C by 2030)
Confirm a valid EPC and exemption status if applicable. Plan works early for the confirmed C-band MEES uplift by 1 October 2030.
Deposit protection within 30 days
Protect any deposit in TDS, DPS or MyDeposits and serve Prescribed Information; failure blocks most Section 8 possession grounds and unlocks tenant claims.
Right to Rent before tenancy starts
Run manual, IDVT or Home Office online checks for every adult occupier and keep dated evidence for the tenancy duration plus one year.
Fire safety for HMO / shared lets
Interlinked smoke + CO alarms, fire doors, emergency lighting on escape routes, PAT for supplied electricals and a recent fire risk assessment.
Two-stack inventory: new-build vs converted HMO
Maintain two parallel compliance stacks if you let across both new-build flats and older HMO conversions in the same regen postcode. New-builds: FRAEW + EPC + leasehold service-charge. Older HMO: mandatory / additional licence + fire risk assessment + room sizes. Mixing the templates is the most common audit failure here.
Block-by-block selective licensing check
Selective licensing in regen areas is often drawn block-by-block rather than ward-wide. Re-run the council checker each time a new property is added; a single street can have licensed and unlicensed addresses on opposite sides.
Licensing here
What is in force across Royal Borough of Greenwich
Designations are drawn by ward and sometimes by street, so a postcode is never the answer. The only authoritative source for an address in SE18 is the council’s own checker.
- The council operates both mandatory and additional HMO licensing borough-wide, which means every HMO in the borough must be licensed
- Mandatory covers five or more people from two or more households sharing facilities; additional covers three or four people from two or more households
- HMOs owned or substantially controlled by registered social providers are exempt
- Where an HMO operates without a licence, the landlord, the managing agent and anyone else profiting from it each commit an offence, and the council can issue a civil penalty of up to £40,000 on each person
National duties
The duties that apply in SE18 whatever the council does
A licence sits on top of these. Renewal cycles and maximum penalties are the same everywhere in England.
| Duty | Renewal | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Gas SafetyGas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 | Every 12 months | Unlimited fine + up to 2 years in prison |
| EICRElectrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 | Every 5 years | £40,000 per property |
| EPCEnergy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 | Every 10 years / on new tenancy | £5,000 per property |
| DepositHousing Act 2004, as amended by the Localism Act 2011 | 30 days from receipt | 1-3× deposit as damages |
| Right to RentImmigration Act 2014, amended by Immigration Act 2016 | Before tenancy starts | Up to £20,000 per occupant |
| Section 8Housing Act 1988, s.8 (as amended by Renters’ Rights Act 2025) | When seeking possession | Possession refused if compliance missing |
| RRA 2025Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Royal Assent 27 Oct 2025; principal commencement 1 May 2026) | Phase-in from 1 May 2026 | £7,000 → £40,000 (serious/repeat) + unlimited criminal |
Common pitfalls
What goes wrong in SE18
The mistakes that recur in regeneration mixed-use postcodes like this one.
Mixed-stock contractor sourcing
New-build flats need surveyors and electricians who know modern building-regs Part L; converted HMOs need contractors who know fire-doors, escape lighting and Part B. Sourcing from one panel rarely works.
Council-tax-banding revaluation risk
A converted HMO can be re-banded room-by-room by the VOA, materially shifting your net position. Get pre-letting tax advice on each conversion.
Section 13 rent-increase mismatch
New-build flats and older HMO rooms often track different rent indices. A single Section 13 across both portfolios is rarely defensible at tribunal.
FAQs
SE18: the questions landlords ask
How do I run compliance for a portfolio of new-build flats and converted HMOs in the same SE18 regen area?
Run two parallel compliance stacks. New-build flats in SE18: FRAEW / EWS1, valid EPC, leasehold service-charge transparency to tenant, and electronic deposit protection on the day funds clear. Older converted HMOs in SE18: mandatory or additional HMO licence (depending on Royal Borough of Greenwich designation), independent fire risk assessment annually, room-size compliance, fire-doors and interlinked alarms. Mixing the two templates is the single most common audit failure here.
Does SE18 fall under selective or additional licensing in London?
It depends on the exact address and property type. Royal Borough of Greenwich publishes a postcode or ward checker. SE18 includes Woolwich, Plumstead Common, Plumstead & Glyndon, Shooters Hill, Charlton Hornfair. 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.
What national UK landlord duties apply in SE18?
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. Get any of these wrong and Section 21, RROs and civil penalties all follow.
Is SE18 a high-enforcement postcode area?
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.
How much is a landlord licence in SE18?
The fee is set by Royal Borough of Greenwich 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.
Do I need planning permission to convert into an HMO in SE18?
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. Royal Borough of Greenwich publishes its Article 4 map. Large HMOs (sui generis, 7+ sharers) always need planning permission.
Can I use Section 21 in SE18 after the Renters Rights Act?
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.
What insurance should I have for a let property in SE18?
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.
Reviewed by Erdem Volkan, last checked 19 April 2026. General information about letting in this area, not advice on a specific property or dispute.
Nearby
Other Royal Borough of Greenwich postcodes
Same council, different streets, and sometimes a different designation.
Run a let through it
Everything on this page, tracked for your SE18 property
The licence, the certificates and their renewal dates sit alongside the advert, the tenancy, the rent and arrears, the repairs and the tax figures, in one place rather than five. Free for one property, no card needed.