Council licensing report

Landlord licensing in Greenwich

Greenwich runs at least one local property licensing scheme. Some rules apply to the whole council. Others apply only to listed streets, wards, or mapped areas, so the postcode alone does not always give a yes-or-no answer.

What landlords need to know

Status

Greenwich

Selective

Additional HMO

Mandatory HMO (national)

Selective licensing: 2 active
Additional HMO licensing: 1 active
Mandatory HMO licensing: Applies nationally
Local scheme coverage: Listed streets or areas
Active local schemes: 2 active schemes
Last checked: 18 Sept 2026

Selective licensing in Greenwich

Who is covered, fees, dates and exemptions.

HMO licensing in Greenwich

Mandatory and additional HMO rules with thresholds.

Check a postcode and address in Greenwich

Enter the postcode to confirm the council, then pick the address. If a scheme uses a street list, we check the selected street against it and give a direct yes or no.

Local schemes in Greenwich

Greenwich proposed selective licensing 2026

Selective licensing · proposed · Listed wards

Coverage: Listed wards
Fee: £974

Royal Greenwich is consulting on a five-year replacement selective licensing scheme for 17 full wards and the southern part of Woolwich Arsenal.

Show the 18 wards covered by this scheme

Abbey Wood, Blackheath Westcombe, Charlton Hornfair, Charlton Village and Riverside, East Greenwich, Eltham Page, Eltham Town and Avery Hill, Greenwich Park, Kidbrooke Park, Middle Park and Horn Park, Plumstead and Glyndon, Plumstead Common, Shooters Hill, Thamesmead Moorings, West Thamesmead, Woolwich Arsenal, Woolwich Common, Woolwich Dockyard.

Greenwich selective licensing 2022 to 2027

Selective licensing · active · Listed wards · 1 Oct 2022 to 1 Oct 2027

Coverage: Listed wards
Fee: £905.75

Royal Greenwich selective licensing applies to privately rented properties let to one household or two individuals in Woolwich Riverside, Woolwich Common, Shooters Hill, Plumstead Common and Plumstead Glyndon wards.

Show the 5 wards covered by this scheme

Plumstead Common, Plumstead Glyndon, Shooters Hill, Woolwich Common, Woolwich Riverside.

Greenwich additional HMO licensing 2024

Additional HMO licensing · active · Whole council area · 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2028

Coverage: Whole council area
Fee: £527.82

Royal Greenwich additional HMO licensing applies borough-wide to HMOs occupied by three or more people in two or more households, unless exempt.

How each scheme is scoped in Greenwich

A property licensing scheme is not the same everywhere. A council can designate the whole borough, a handful of wards, a list of streets, or a boundary drawn on a map. Whichever option Greenwich chose changes how confident you can be from the postcode alone.

Greenwich selective licensing 2022 to 2027

This scheme covers 5 named wards. The postcode confirms the council, but the address has to fall inside one of those wards before the licence applies.

Greenwich additional HMO licensing 2024

This scheme covers the whole of Greenwich. Every privately rented property inside the council boundary is in scope.

Common rental setups in Greenwich

The right licence depends on who lives in the property, how the household is structured, and where the property sits in the council area. These are the situations we see most often, with what Greenwich's current rules say about each.

Single tenant in a flat or studio

Licence needed

One adult renting a self-contained flat or a studio with their own kitchen and bathroom.

May need a selective licence if the address sits inside Greenwich's designated scheme area.

Couple renting a whole house

Licence needed

Two people from one household renting an entire house on one tenancy.

May need a selective licence if the address sits inside Greenwich's designated scheme area.

Family renting a whole house

Licence needed

Parents and dependent children from one household renting an entire house.

May need a selective licence if the address sits inside Greenwich's designated scheme area.

Three sharers from different households

Licence needed

Three friends or three unrelated tenants on a joint tenancy, sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Needs an additional HMO licence anywhere in Greenwich. Mandatory HMO licensing only kicks in at five or more occupiers, so this property is not in scope of the national rule.

Four sharers from different households

Licence needed

Four unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Needs an additional HMO licence anywhere in Greenwich. Mandatory HMO licensing only kicks in at five or more occupiers, so this property is not in scope of the national rule.

Five or more sharers from different households

Licence needed

Five or more unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Needs a mandatory HMO licence anywhere in England. The five-or-more, two-or-more-households test is national, not council-specific. An additional HMO licence is not also required.

Lodger with a live-in landlord

No licence needed

Owner-occupier letting a room to one or two lodgers in their own home.

Letting to a lodger while you live in the property is exempt from HMO licensing in most cases. Selective licensing exemptions also normally cover owner-occupier lets.

Student house of five

Licence needed

Five students from at least two households sharing a converted house.

Needs a mandatory HMO licence anywhere in England. The five-or-more, two-or-more-households test is national, not council-specific. An additional HMO licence is not also required.

Buying a property in Greenwich

A property licence does not transfer when a property changes hands. If you buy a let property that needs a licence under Greenwich's rules, the existing licence ends and you need to apply for a new one in your own name. The seller's solicitor should disclose any existing licence and any open enforcement notices.

For conveyancing in Greenwich, ask three things before exchange. First, is the property inside any current selective or additional HMO scheme area. Second, is there an active licence in the seller's name and on what conditions. Third, has the council issued a civil penalty, banning order or rent repayment order against the seller in the last six years.

Owner-occupiers buying to live in the property do not need a licence. The rules only apply when a property is rented out.

Scheme changes and consultations

Greenwich selective licensing 2026 consultation

Selective licensing · Active consultation

Coverage: Listed wards
Timing: 21 Jul 2026 to 12 Oct 2026

Royal Greenwich is consulting from 21 July to 12 October 2026 on a replacement selective licensing scheme for 18 wards. Cabinet is due to consider the final proposal towards the end of 2026.

Talk to Greenwich directly

Anything on this page that you cannot find an answer to, the council's licensing team can confirm in minutes.

Email the licensing team

[email protected]

Phone the licensing team

020 8921 8152

Apply for a licence

Application form on Greenwich's website

Public licence register

Search licensed properties in Greenwich

Official licensing page

Greenwich council guidance

Council postcode checker

Greenwich's own street or postcode lookup