HMO licensing in Islington

Which licences a rented house needs in Islington, and where. England. Checked 7 September 2026.

Islington runs additional licensing and selective licensing on top of mandatory licensing.

Mandatory HMO licence: 5 or more people forming 2 or more households sharing facilities.

Additional licensing

Extends HMO licensing to smaller HMOs (typically 3 or 4 people) in a designated area.

StatusIn forceWherewhole borough

Council property licensing page describes a borough-wide additional scheme (3 or 4 sharers, s257 conversions, flats in blocks) as current but gives no designation or end date; the 2020 designation was reported due to expire Feb 2026 and to be renewed (Let's Talk Islington), renewal dates not verified

Selective licensing

Every privately rented home in a designated area needs a licence, HMO or not.

StatusIn forceWherenamed wards: Finsbury Park, Hillrise, Tollington

Current 3-ward scheme in force, dates not given on page; new 7-ward designation (Barnsbury, Caledonian, Highbury, Junction, Laycock, Mildmay, Tufnell Park) starts 2026-11-23, applications open 2026-09-07

Council HMO page · HMO Article 4 in Islington

Check an exact postcode for Article 4

Is a postcode inside an HMO Article 4 area?

See this on every listing.Kerbio puts the Article 4 answer, licensing, the council's HMO register and sold prices on the Rightmove, Zoopla or OnTheMarket page itself. Free for 7 days, then £39 a month.

Add to Chrome

Sources: Islington council, gov.uk HMO licensing. Schemes change; confirm with the council before you offer.