London · Mixed family + sharer
SW5: letting and licensing
- Council
- Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- Profile
- Mixed family + sharer
- Reviewed
Who rents here
Sharer demand and short-let pressure; small HMOs are licensable under the additional scheme.
Mixed family + sharer
Mixed rental demand with both family lets and sharer households. Confirm exact licensing status street-by-street: selective designations are sometimes drawn at ward level, additional HMO at street level. Compliance focus depends on whether your specific property is C3 (single household) or C4 / sui generis HMO.
Coverage
What SW5 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 SW5
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 Kensington and Chelsea landlord licensing page, run the full postal address inside SW5, 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.
C3 vs C4 use-class confirmation
Confirm whether your property is being let as a single household (C3) or to 3+ unrelated occupants (C4 / sui generis). The difference triggers planning, HMO licensing and fire-safety obligations from day one of the new tenancy — council enforcement teams routinely use council-tax records to flag de-facto HMO conversions.
Licensing here
What is in force across Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Designations are drawn by ward and sometimes by street, so a postcode is never the answer. The only authoritative source for an address in SW5 is the council’s own checker.
- 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 in SW5 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 SW5
The mistakes that recur in mixed family + sharer postcodes like this one.
Council-tax data → HMO enforcement
Councils cross-reference council-tax single-occupier discounts against tenancy returns. Multiple unrelated names on a council-tax record flags a de-facto HMO and triggers an audit.
Inherited tenancy compliance gap
When buying tenanted, inherit and date-stamp every certificate immediately. You also inherit the seller’s deposit position, and an unprotected deposit bars a Section 8 possession order on every ground except 7A and 14 until you return it.
Free-of-charge tenancy template trap
Free downloadable agreements are usually pre-reform: they still create a fixed-term assured shorthold tenancy, which cannot lawfully be granted after 1 May 2026, and they miss the prescribed deposit wording.
FAQs
SW5: the questions landlords ask
Do I need a landlord licence in SW5 or does only national compliance apply?
It depends on the exact street and property type. Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 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 SW5.
Does SW5 fall under selective or additional licensing in London?
It depends on the exact address and property type. Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea publishes a postcode or ward checker. SW5 includes Earl’s Court, Courtfield, Redcliffe, Abingdon. 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 SW5?
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 SW5 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 SW5?
The fee is set by Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 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 SW5?
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 Kensington and Chelsea publishes its Article 4 map. Large HMOs (sui generis, 7+ sharers) always need planning permission.
Can I use Section 21 in SW5 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 SW5?
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 Kensington and Chelsea postcodes
Same council, different streets, and sometimes a different designation.
Run a let through it
Everything on this page, tracked for your SW5 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.