You usually need an HMO licence in Enfield when three or more people from more than one household share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet in a rented home. An HMO is a house in multiple occupation. Five or more people need a mandatory licence. Three or four need an additional licence. Enfield has required one across the whole borough since September 2020, and the current scheme started on 1 September 2025 as a renewal.
The short version
- The fee is £1,616 for a mandatory licence up to five lettable rooms and £1,450 for an additional one.
- A licence lasts no more than five years and cannot be transferred.
- For conduct on or after 1 May 2026 the civil penalty ceiling is £40,000.
What counts as an HMO, and is my property one?
Section 254 of the Housing Act 2004 sets three tests. Under the standard test the occupiers must not form a single household, must live there as their only or main home, and at least one must pay rent. Two or more households must share, or lack, a toilet, washing facilities or cooking facilities. The self-contained flat test applies the same conditions to a flat. The converted building test covers a building converted after it was built that has at least one unit that is not a self-contained flat, It does not ask whether anything is shared.
People form one household if they are all in the same family: couples, or relatives such as parents, children, siblings, uncles, aunts and cousins (section 258). A live-in employee such as a nanny, or a foster carer, can also count as part of one household (2006 Regulations). Full-time students count as living there as their main home (section 259). Schedule 14 exempts some buildings. One is a building occupied only by two people in two households. Another is one occupied only by its owner (a freeholder or long leaseholder), their household and no more than two other people (regulation 6). Invented examples:
| Example | HMO? | Enfield HMO licence |
|---|---|---|
| Two friends share a flat and split the rent | No, two people in two households | None. Selective licensing may apply |
| An owner (freehold or a lease of over 21 years) lives in the house and lets three rooms | Yes, the exemption allows only two others | Additional (four people counting the owner). With a fourth lodger, five people: mandatory |
| Four full-time students on one joint tenancy, sharing a kitchen | Yes | Additional |
| Five unrelated sharers in a house | Yes | Mandatory |
| Five sharers in a flat in a purpose-built block of four flats | Yes | Outside the mandatory Order. Probably additional; ask the council |
Do I need an HMO licence in Enfield?
A home that needs a mandatory or additional HMO licence does not also need a selective one (see our Enfield selective licensing article).
Mandatory. The 2018 Prescribed Description Order, in force since 1 October 2018, covers an HMO occupied by five or more people in two or more households. It leaves out a purpose-built flat in a block of three or more flats. Enfield's page lists purpose-built flats without that exclusion, so check with the council. On our reading such a flat is still an HMO, and Enfield’s licensing overview says its additional scheme covers HMOs that mandatory licensing does not.
Additional. Section 56 lets a council designate an area, after consulting, where it considers a significant proportion of a type of HMO is managed so ineffectively that it causes problems. Enfield's Cabinet approved a renewed designation on 12 March 2025, and it started on 1 September 2025, again across the whole borough. The council's announcement says it runs for five years, the most section 60 allows. It replaced the earlier borough-wide scheme that ran from September 2020 to 31 August 2025 (consultation page); licences from it stay valid until they expire.
What is the HMO licence fee in Enfield?
The council splits the fee. Part 1, paid with the application, is non-refundable.
| Licence | Part 1 | Part 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory, up to 5 lettable rooms | £889 | £727 | £1,616 |
| Additional | £800 | £650 | £1,450 |
Each extra lettable room on a mandatory licence adds £181.50. Discounts come off Part 2: £50 for accreditation with a listed body such as the NRLA, and £100 for an EPC of C or above. None applies if the council has twice asked for documents without receiving them, or has sent a warning letter for failing to license the property. An agent who submits the application but is not the licence holder cannot claim the accreditation discount. Budget for the full fee, because Part 1 is not refundable.
Illustration: an accredited landlord with an EPC of C licenses a five-room house. The fee is £1,616 less £150, so £1,466: £889 with the application and £577 later.
How long does an HMO licence last, and what does the application need?
A licence cannot run for more than five years (section 68), and cannot be transferred, so a buyer applies in their own name. Enfield’s web page does not state its standard term, but its 12 March 2025 Cabinet report says an additional licence is for five years unless a shorter term is appropriate. It grants a reduced term, usually two years, where use breaches planning control, and a licence is not planning permission. A borough-wide Article 4 Direction means turning a family home into an HMO needs planning consent or proof of established use.
You apply online, once for each property. Have ready:
- the holder's details, room sizes in square metres and floor plans;
- everyone with an interest, such as freeholders, agents and the lender;
- gas safety, electrical and fire safety documents, the EPC and the tenancy agreement.
The council checks that the holder is a fit and proper person. It aims to decide within 60 working days, may take longer, and says tacit consent does not apply. Renew at least two months before expiry. The March 2025 announcement says the council inspects every HMO before granting a licence.
What conditions come with an HMO licence?
Schedule 4 requires conditions on an annual gas safety certificate no more than 12 months old where gas is supplied, safe appliances and electrical installations, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms (see our alarms article) and a written statement of terms. For HMOs, further conditions set minimum bedroom floor areas of 6.51 square metres for one person over 10, 10.22 for two, and 4.64 for a child under 10. Councils can add their own (GOV.UK).
What happens if an HMO has no licence?
Letting a licensable HMO without one is an offence under section 72(1). Since 1 May 2026 it reaches the person controlling or managing the HMO, any landlord of an occupier, and any superior landlord above them (Renters' Rights Act 2025, section 105).
The council can prosecute, and GOV.UK says the fine is unlimited. It can instead issue a civil penalty of up to £40,000 for conduct on or after 1 May 2026, up from £30,000 (S.I. 2026/319). GOV.UK's civil penalties guidance gives £17,000 as a national starting point for an unlicensed mandatory or additional HMO. Each council sets its own level within the £40,000 maximum, and we have not checked Enfield's policy.
An application duly made and still effective is a defence from the date it is made. Otherwise the person charged must prove a reasonable excuse, and a tenancy clause alone does not make out a superior landlord's defence. A defence answers a charge and does not remove the duty to license.
Tenants can also apply to the First-tier Tribunal for a rent repayment order. For offences on or after 1 May 2026, GOV.UK's guidance for tenants says an order can cover up to two years' rent. A tenant can apply after moving out, within two years of the offence, and the landlord need not have been convicted.
What changed in 2026, and what is only proposed?
- In force on 1 May 2026: the rewritten offence, defences and two-year rent repayment rules (S.I. 2026/421) and the £40,000 ceiling.
- Unchanged: on 17 October 2026 none of the outstanding changes legislation.gov.uk listed amends sections 254 to 259, Schedule 14 or article 4 of the 2018 Order.
- Proposed only: a consultation, open from 15 October to 10 December 2026, on draft supported housing licensing regulations. The draft would switch off the HMO and selective licence requirement for supported housing while its manager holds a supported housing licence. The start date is blank in the draft.
Landlord checklist
- Count the occupiers and households, and note who shares what.
- Pick the scheme: five or more is generally mandatory, three or four is additional.
- Ask Enfield about planning, measure each bedroom and gather the safety documents.
- Apply per property, diarise renewal two months before expiry and agree in writing who holds the licence if an agent manages the house.
Our landlord licensing guide also covers Haringey and Waltham Forest, and our Edmonton and Ponders End guides cover the local area. If you let a shared house here, talk to our lettings team.
Questions readers ask
Do three students sharing a house need an HMO licence in Enfield?
Probably yes. Full-time students count as living there as their main home under section 259 of the Housing Act 2004, and three unrelated people are three households. Enfield requires an additional HMO licence across the borough for three or four people from more than one household who share amenities such as a kitchen or bathroom.
Can I transfer an HMO licence when I sell the property?
No. Section 68(6) of the Housing Act 2004 says a licence may not be transferred to another person. A buyer who intends to keep letting the property as an HMO needs to apply for a licence in their own name, so allow for the fee and the council's processing time in the sale plan.
I have applied but the council has not decided. Am I committing an offence?
Section 72(4) of the Housing Act 2004 gives a defence to the unlicensed-HMO offence where an application has been duly made and is still effective. It helps from the date of a valid application, not backwards, and it is not a licence. Check the details with the council or a solicitor.
Do I get the licence fee back if the house turns out not to be an HMO?
Regulation 7(7) of the 2006 Miscellaneous Provisions Regulations says the council must refund a fee in full, as soon as reasonably practicable, once it learns the house was not an HMO or not one that had to be licensed when the fee was paid. Enfield calls Part 1 non-refundable, so ask in writing before paying if you are unsure.
Who should hold the licence if an agent manages the house?
Enfield says the right applicant is usually the owner, the manager employed by the owner or the person who receives the rent. The licence holder should be able to let and end tenancies, reach every part of the property and authorise repairs, and should make sure any agent follows the licence conditions. Agree in writing who does what.
Sources
- Enfield Council, Houses in multiple occupation, modified 8 September 2026, and Private rented property licensing, modified 1 September 2026, read on 17 October 2026.
- Enfield Council, Cabinet report, 12 March 2025.
- Enfield Council, announcement, 20 March 2025, and consultation, closed 7 October 2024.
- legislation.gov.uk, Housing Act 2004 sections as linked above, and S.I. 2006/373, read on 17 October 2026.
- GOV.UK, HMO licence, 19 July 2023; civil penalties guidance, 13 November 2025; rent repayment orders, 1 May 2026.
