Skip to main content
NowSection 21 abolished
LetCompliance
Sign inStart free

Free for one property. No card needed.

London · Council area

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: landlord licensing 2026

Additional HMO licensing has covered the whole borough since 1 June 2023, alongside the mandatory scheme.
Reviewed
Council
Official page
Additional HMOMandatory HMO only

In force here

Licensing in Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Schemes are designated for a fixed period and are redesignated, widened or dropped. Treat this as the shape of the local regime and confirm the current designation on the council’s own licensing page before you let.

  • A borough-wide additional HMO licensing scheme was implemented on 1 June 2023, after a consultation that closed in June 2021 and a decision in October 2022
  • It covers every HMO defined by section 254 of the Housing Act 2004 that does not fall under the mandatory scheme
  • The additional scheme runs alongside mandatory HMO licensing, which covers five or more occupiers living as two or more separate households
  • The council publishes its HMO licensing policy, fee schedule, standards and a public register of licensed HMOs

National duties

The duties that apply here whatever the council does

A licence sits on top of these, it does not replace them. Renewal cycles and maximum penalties are the same in every England council area.

DutyRenewalMaximum penalty
Gas SafetyGas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998Every 12 monthsUnlimited fine + up to 2 years in prison
EICRElectrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020Every 5 years£40,000 per property
EPCEnergy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015Every 10 years / on new tenancy£5,000 per property
DepositHousing Act 2004, as amended by the Localism Act 201130 days from receipt1-3× deposit as damages
Right to RentImmigration Act 2014, amended by Immigration Act 2016Before tenancy startsUp to £20,000 per occupant
Section 8Housing Act 1988, s.8 (as amended by Renters’ Rights Act 2025)When seeking possessionPossession 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

Each row links to the full duty: what it obliges you to do, what happens when it is missed and the practical way to stay on top of it. Read the national guide.

If you get it wrong

What letting without a licence costs

These are statutory, not local. A council that has designated a scheme can use all three, and a tenant can bring the second one without the council being involved at all.

Civil penalty
Up to £40,000Imposed by the council itself, without a prosecution. Serious or repeated breaches sit at the top of the range.
Rent Repayment Order
Up to 2 years’ rentThe tenant, or the council, applies to the First-tier Tribunal to have rent paid back. It is separate from the penalty above, not instead of it.
Prosecution
Unlimited fineLetting an unlicensed HMO, or breaching a licence condition, is a criminal offence and can be prosecuted rather than penalised.

Check your address

Three steps before you let the property

Designations are drawn by ward and sometimes by street, so the only answer that counts is the one for your address.

  1. Put the address into the council’s own checker

    It is the only source that is definitive for this borough, and it is the one the council will hold you to.

    Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea licensing

  2. Check the property against the national thresholds

    Mandatory HMO licensing is national, not local: five or more occupants forming two or more households need a licence wherever the property is, with no local scheme required.

    Free postcode licensing checker

  3. Get the evidence together before you apply

    Most applications ask for the same documents you already owe the tenant: the gas safety record, the EICR, the EPC, and the fire detection and escape arrangements for an HMO. The council’s list is the one that counts, but nothing on it will be a surprise if those are current.

FAQs

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: the questions landlords ask

Does a small share in Kensington and Chelsea need a licence?

Yes. Since 1 June 2023 the borough-wide additional scheme has covered every section 254 HMO that is not already caught by mandatory licensing, so a three or four person share needs a licence.

Where can I check whether an RBKC property is already licensed?

The council publishes a public HMO register alongside its licensing policy and fee pages. Check it before buying a property that is already let as a share.

Reviewed by Erdem Volkan, last checked 19 April 2026. General information about the rules in this area, not advice on a specific property or dispute.

Postcode districts

Narrow it to an outward code

Designations are ward-level, so the outward code is a better guide than the borough. Always confirm on the council checker.

W8Kensington, Campden, Abingdon, Holland, Queen’s GateW10North Kensington, Golborne, Dalgarno, Notting DaleW11Notting Hill, Colville, Norland, Pembridge, HollandSW5Earl’s Court, Courtfield, Redcliffe, Abingdon

London councils

The neighbouring areas

Schemes differ street by street across London. The London guide covers the city-wide picture.

London Borough of HackneyBorough-wide additional HMO licensing plus designated selective schemes.London Borough of Tower HamletsBorough-wide selective licensing proposed / active plus additional HMO licensing.London Borough of NewhamThe UK’s longest-running borough-wide selective licensing scheme.London Borough of Waltham ForestBorough-wide selective licensing with very active enforcement.London Borough of CroydonBorough-wide selective licensing renewed for a further 5 years.London Borough of LewishamDesignated-area selective licensing plus additional HMO scheme.London Borough of SouthwarkAdditional HMO licensing borough-wide; selective designated in specific wards.London Borough of LambethAdditional HMO licensing plus borough-wide selective scheme proposed/active.London Borough of HaringeyBorough-wide selective and additional HMO licensing in recent cycles.London Borough of EnfieldSelective licensing through ward designations plus additional HMO.London Borough of BrentBorough-wide additional HMO plus selective in specific wards.London Borough of IslingtonAdditional HMO borough-wide; active fire-safety enforcement.London Borough of CamdenAdditional HMO plus selective in specific sub-areas.London Borough of Barking & DagenhamBorough-wide selective licensing scheme.London Borough of RedbridgeSelective licensing in designated wards plus additional HMO.London Borough of EalingFour schemes at once: mandatory, additional for 3 to 4 person HMOs, section 257 for converted blocks, and selective in designated areas.London Borough of HounslowAdditional HMO licensing has covered the whole borough since 11 December 2025, so every HMO needs a licence.Royal Borough of GreenwichMandatory and additional licensing both run borough-wide, so every HMO in Greenwich has to be licensed.Wandsworth Borough CouncilSelective and additional licensing since 1 July 2025, with a second selective designation adding three more wards from April 2026.London Borough of Hammersmith & FulhamMandatory and additional HMO licensing across the borough, plus selective licensing on 24 named streets.London Borough of MertonAdditional licensing in seven wards, selective in four of them, and an Article 4 direction over the same ground.London Borough of HarrowSelective licensing in designated areas and additional licensing from three occupants, with one scheme per property.London Borough of BarnetHMO licensing today, and a selective licensing scheme proposed for ten wards.Westminster City CouncilSelective licensing has covered 15 of Westminster’s 18 wards since 24 November 2025, so most ordinary lets now need a licence.London Borough of HaveringAdditional licensing across every ward and selective licensing in seven, both running from 18 March 2026 to 17 March 2031.London Borough of BexleyOne selective licensing ward, Belvedere, running to January 2030, with accreditation required within a year of the licence.London Borough of SuttonBorough-wide additional licensing is now live, so every HMO in Sutton needs a licence whatever its size.Royal Borough of Kingston upon ThamesNot every HMO is licensable here: the threshold stays at five, but the standards apply from three.London Borough of Richmond upon ThamesMandatory HMO licensing only, with the purpose-built flat exclusion spelled out.London Borough of BromleyMandatory HMO licensing from five occupants, including where a live-in landlord shares with four tenants.London Borough of HillingdonMandatory HMO licensing at five occupants, with the council setting out the landlord duties that come with it.

Run a let through it

Every date on this page, tracked for your London property

Licence renewals, the gas and electrical certificates, the deposit clock and the notices all sit in one place, alongside the advert, the tenancy, the rent and the repairs. Free for one property, no card needed.

Create a free accountSee everything it does