Landlord licensing in Wandsworth: does your property need a licence?
Additional HMO licensing now covers every ward in the borough, and selective licensing reached Putney in April 2026. Letting without a licence exposes you to a rent repayment order of up to two years' rent.
Which licence applies to your property
Two of these are borough-wide. Assuming licensing only affects designated wards is the most expensive mistake a Wandsworth landlord can make.
Additional HMO licensing
Shared homes with three or four unrelated occupants
1 July 2025 to 30 June 2030
This is the one landlords most often miss. It is not restricted to designated wards: a three-sharer house anywhere in Wandsworth needs a licence, including Earlsfield, Southfields and Wandsworth Town.
Selective licensing — designation 1
Ordinary lets to a single household or two unrelated sharers
1 July 2025 to 30 June 2030
A standard family let in these wards needs a licence, regardless of size or condition.
Selective licensing — designation 2
Ordinary lets to a single household or two unrelated sharers
1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031
This designation is new. Putney landlords who have let the same property for years without a licence are now caught for the first time.
Mandatory HMO licensing
Any HMO with five or more occupants forming more than one household
Ongoing national requirement
This applies everywhere in England and is not time-limited.
Designations follow ward boundaries. Confirm your address and the current fee on Wandsworth Council’s property licensing pages. This page is general guidance, not legal advice.
Putney landlords: the early-bird discount ends 1 October 2026
Selective licensing came into force across East Putney, Northcote and West Putney on 1 April 2026, and Wandsworth is reducing the first part of the licence fee for applications made before 1 October 2026. If you let a property in one of those wards, applying before the deadline costs less than applying after it — and the property is licensable either way. Check the current fee and discount on the council’s fees page.
What letting without a licence actually costs
The fine is rarely the worst of it. Losing your ability to regain possession is.
A rent repayment order can claw back two years' rent
A tribunal can order you to repay up to 24 months of rent you have already received and spent — to the tenant, or to the council where benefit was paid. Since 1 May 2026 this is the single largest exposure from letting unlicensed, and liability now reaches superior landlords and company directors personally.
Civil penalties up to £40,000
Councils can issue financial penalties per offence instead of prosecuting, and Wandsworth expects thousands of properties to fall within these schemes.
Criminal prosecution
Letting a licensable property without a licence is a criminal offence carrying an unlimited fine on conviction.
Licensing is part of management, not an extra
We let and manage across Wandsworth and Merton, including every ward now under designation.
We check the ward boundary, not the postcode
Designations follow ward lines, which cut across postcodes. An SW17 or SW12 address can sit inside or outside a designated ward, so we confirm the boundary before marketing the property.
We treat every house-share as licensable until proven otherwise
Because additional licensing is borough-wide, a three-sharer let anywhere in Wandsworth needs a licence. This is the single most common gap we see when taking over a portfolio.
We apply, then diarise the conditions
We prepare the application and supporting certificates, then track the licence conditions and expiry so nothing lapses mid-tenancy.
We audit licensing on handover
If you are switching agents, we check the licensing position of every property as part of the transfer, before it becomes your problem.
Not sure whether your property is caught?
Send us the address and how it is occupied. We will confirm the ward, tell you which scheme applies and what the conditions would mean for your tenancy. No obligation.
Wandsworth landlord licensing questions
The questions landlords in Tooting, Balham and Putney ask us most often.
Do I need a licence to rent out a property in Wandsworth?
It depends on how the property is occupied and which ward it is in. If it is shared by three or four unrelated people, you need an additional HMO licence — that scheme covers every ward in the borough. If five or more unrelated people live there, you need a mandatory HMO licence. If it is let to a single household or two sharers, you need a selective licence only if the property sits in Furzedown, South Balham, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, East Putney, Northcote or West Putney.
Does selective licensing apply in Putney?
Yes, since 1 April 2026. Wandsworth's second selective licensing designation covers East Putney, Northcote and West Putney, and runs to 31 March 2031. It applies to ordinary lets to a single household or two unrelated sharers, so many Putney landlords who have never needed a licence now do.
Is there a discount for applying early?
Wandsworth is running an early-bird reduction on the first part of the selective licence fee for the 2026 designation, and it expires on 1 October 2026. The council publishes the current fee and the exact discount on its own website — take the figures from there, as they are reviewed periodically.
My property is in Tooting — am I caught?
Probably. Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway are both selective licensing wards, so an ordinary family let needs a licence. If the property is instead shared by three or more unrelated tenants, an HMO licence applies rather than a selective one. The distinction matters because the fee and the conditions differ.
What if I only let one property?
Licensing applies per property, not per landlord. Someone letting a single former home in a designated ward has exactly the same obligation as a portfolio landlord, and the same exposure to penalties and rent repayment orders.
Do you handle licensing for landlords you manage?
Yes. We identify whether a licence is required, prepare and submit the application, hold the certificates the council asks for, and diarise conditions and renewal dates. We have let property across south west London for over three decades, including the wards now under designation.
Scheme dates reflect Wandsworth’s current designations. Councils vary fees and boundaries over time — always confirm against Wandsworth Council before acting. Letting in Merton instead? See our Merton landlord licensing guide.
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