HMO and selective licensing in Lewisham Council

Lewisham's borough-wide additional HMO scheme runs from 5 April 2022 to 4 April 2027 and covers smaller HMOs occupied by three or four people. Selective licensing runs from 1 July 2024 to 1 July 2029 across the borough except Blackheath and Telegraph Hill, and the designation defines its areas using the pre-May 2022 ward boundaries, which were redrawn that year. An address in a present-day Blackheath or Telegraph Hill ward can therefore still sit inside a covered pre-2022 ward, so check the formal designation for any address near a boundary.^[23]

Whatever Lewisham designates locally, a large HMO shared by at least five people from more than one household needs a mandatory licence anywhere in England. The London licensing guide sets out the national tests that sit behind every local scheme.^[27]

Lewisham's selective scheme excludes these wards (pre-May 2022 boundaries):^[23]

• Blackheath
• Telegraph Hill

Lewisham links its HMO licensing register from the council's main HMO page. For selective licensing, first resolve whether the property lies outside Blackheath and Telegraph Hill using the designation boundary, then ask the Private Sector Housing Agency for the corresponding licence status. Keep the HMO and selective checks distinct.^[24]

1. Open the official register. HMO register page (opens in new tab)^[24]
2. Search the exact address. Save a dated screenshot or download of the result. Councils must keep a register of licences, temporary exemption notices and management orders and make it available for inspection.^[28]
3. Ask about applications and exemptions. A missing entry is a reason to investigate, not proof of an offence, so ask whether a licence, application or exemption covered the dates you rented there.^[31]
4. Report or ask in writing. pshe@lewisham.gov.uk. Lewisham directs private-housing and suspected licensing breaches to its Private Sector Housing Agency by email or telephone.^[26] Ask for a reference number and keep the reply.

Lewisham's licensing and enforcement material covers suitable amenities, occupancy, fire and electrical safety, management and property condition. An HMO resident should record how bedrooms and shared kitchens or bathrooms are actually used; a selectively licensed single-household tenant may instead need the licence conditions and general housing standards for that address.^[24]

• National conditions are the floor. Every licence carries the prescribed conditions on gas, electrics, alarms, tenancy terms and waste, and can last up to five years; the London licensing guide lists them in full.^[29]
• Compare the licence with reality. The register entry or licence may identify the manager, the permitted occupancy and property-specific conditions. Check those details against how the home is actually occupied and managed.
• Keep separate evidence of hazards. A licence does not establish continuing compliance. Report disrepair or an immediate safety risk separately, and keep photographs, messages and certificates.

Separate the borough-wide additional HMO scheme from selective licensing, which excludes Blackheath and Telegraph Hill on the pre-May 2022 ward boundaries. For an address near either boundary, use the formal designation rather than a postcode assumption. The additional designation also ends sooner than the selective one, so record the occupancy and rent period precisely.^[23][24]

1. Confirm the scheme and dates. Match the address, occupancy and rental period to the designation in force at the time.
2. Ask the council in writing. pshe@lewisham.gov.uk. Ask Lewisham Council whether an effective application or temporary exemption existed and when it took effect.^[26]
3. Check the legal position. An application, an exemption, a reasonable excuse or the identity of the person legally responsible (the "person managing or controlling" the property) can all affect whether an offence is proved.^[31]
4. Preserve the evidence. Keep the tenancy, rent payments, proof of occupation, dated searches and council correspondence.

For a licensing offence committed on or after the 1 May 2026 rule change, a tenant can ask the First-tier Tribunal for up to two years' rent, and normally has two years from the offence to apply. The tenant must prove the offence beyond reasonable doubt, and the tribunal decides any award from the statutory factors and evidence; recovery is never automatic.^[32] Older offence periods may be governed by earlier limits. Free housing advice is available from Shelter and Citizens Advice, and local law centres can help with tribunal cases.