In Brent, every privately rented home inside a designated selective licensing area needs a licence — even a house let to one family, not just HMOs. London Borough of Brent's standard fee is £640 for a 5-year licence. Apply to London Borough of Brent using the official scheme links below.
England runs three separate regimes. More than one can apply to the same property.
Sourced from London Borough of Brent announcements and tracked by our weekly scanner. Last checked 5 November 2026. Always verify the boundary and fees directly with the council before applying.
Privately rented homes let to a single household or up to two unrelated people (non-HMO) in the three wards of Harlesden & Kensal Green, Dollis Hill and Willesden Green need a selective licence. The council's page says the designation lasts 5 years.
Read the council's announcement →Privately rented non-HMO homes in the other 18 wards of Brent, all wards except Wembley Park and the three in Designation 1, need a selective licence. Approved 17 July 2023 and confirmed by the Secretary of State on 30 November 2023. The council's page says it lasts 5 years.
Read the council's announcement →Selective licensing is not about HMOs. A council designates an area — sometimes a few streets, sometimes the whole borough — and from the start date every privately rented home in it needs a licence, including an ordinary house or flat let to a single family. That is the part landlords miss: you can be perfectly outside every HMO rule and still be committing an offence.
Letting a licensable property without a licence is an offence under section 95(1) of the Housing Act 2004. Councils can prosecute, or impose a civil penalty instead. Since 1 May 2026 the maximum civil penalty is £40,000 (raised from £30,000 by the Renters' Rights Act 2025), with government guidance suggesting a starting point around £12,000 for an unlicensed selectively licensed property before aggravating factors. A Rent Repayment Order can additionally require you to repay up to 2 years' rent.
Note that licensing is enforced independently of the tenancy regime. Since Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026 there is no longer a “you can't serve a section 21” consequence — but the financial penalties above are larger than they were, not smaller. Serving a Section 21 notice now is a separate breach in its own right, with a council fine of up to £7,000; Gateshead issued the first reported one, £3,600, in 2026. See Section 21 abolished: fines and what to do now.
Common exemptions include properties already licensed as HMOs under Part 2, lettings by registered providers of social housing, and certain tenancies granted to family members. Always check the council's own scheme conditions.
If it houses sharers from more than one household, the HMO rules may bite on top of the selective scheme. Run the free HMO checker — no account needed.
Licensed areas come with management conditions, and councils look hardest at landlords with problem tenancies. Start with RentFig's free tenant referencing form — no account needed — then add tenant referencing from £9 per tenant.
Selective licences run for a fixed term and expire quietly. RentFig tracks licence renewals alongside gas safety, EICR, EPC and right-to-rent checks, with email reminders and a full audit trail. Free plan for up to 2 tenancies.
Disclaimer: This page is an indicative guide based on publicly announced Brent schemes and Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004. It is not legal advice. Designation boundaries and fees change — always confirm the current position with London Borough of Brent before letting or applying for a licence.
