Council licensing report

Landlord licensing in Hammersmith and Fulham

Hammersmith and Fulham 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

Hammersmith and Fulham

Selective

Additional HMO

Mandatory HMO (national)

Selective licensing: 1 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: 22 May 2026

Selective licensing in Hammersmith and Fulham

Who is covered, fees, dates and exemptions.

HMO licensing in Hammersmith and Fulham

Mandatory and additional HMO rules with thresholds.

Check a postcode and address in Hammersmith and Fulham

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 Hammersmith and Fulham

Hammersmith and Fulham selective licensing 2022 to 2027

Selective licensing · active · Listed streets · 5 Jun 2022 to 4 Jun 2027

Coverage: Listed streets
Fee: £755

Hammersmith and Fulham selective licensing applies to rented houses and flats that are not HMOs in 24 specified streets.

Show the 24 streets covered by this scheme

Askew Road, Baron's Court Road, Bloemfontein Road, Blythe Road, Coningham Road, Crookham Road, Dalling Road, Dawes Road, Fulham Road, Goldhawk Road, Greyhound Road, King Street, Lime Grove, New King's Road, North End Road, Richmond Way, Scrubs Lane, Shepherd's Bush Road, Sinclair Road, Talgarth Road, Uxbridge Road, Wandsworth Bridge Road, Wood Lane, Woodstock Grove.

Hammersmith and Fulham additional HMO licensing 2022 to 2027

Additional HMO licensing · active · Whole council area · 5 Jun 2022 to 4 Jun 2027

Coverage: Whole council area
Fee: £755

Hammersmith and Fulham additional HMO licensing applies across the borough to HMOs outside mandatory licensing, including smaller shared houses and flats, purpose-built flats and some section 257 HMOs.

How each scheme is scoped in Hammersmith and Fulham

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 Hammersmith and Fulham chose changes how confident you can be from the postcode alone.

Hammersmith and Fulham selective licensing 2022 to 2027

This scheme covers 24 named streets. Two houses on the same postcode can end up with different answers if the scheme covers one street and not the next.

Hammersmith and Fulham additional HMO licensing 2022 to 2027

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

Common rental setups in Hammersmith and Fulham

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 Hammersmith and Fulham'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 Hammersmith and Fulham'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 Hammersmith and Fulham'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 Hammersmith and Fulham'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 Hammersmith and Fulham. 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 Hammersmith and Fulham. 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. Hammersmith and Fulham's additional HMO scheme covers the whole council, so its conditions stack on top of the mandatory licence.

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.

Buying a property in Hammersmith and Fulham

A property licence does not transfer when a property changes hands. If you buy a let property that needs a licence under Hammersmith and Fulham'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 Hammersmith and Fulham, 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.

Talk to Hammersmith and Fulham 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

+442087531081

Apply for a licence

Application form on Hammersmith and Fulham's website

Public licence register

Search licensed properties in Hammersmith and Fulham

Official licensing page

Hammersmith and Fulham council guidance

Council postcode checker

Hammersmith and Fulham's own street or postcode lookup