Selective licensing
If you rent out a property in certain parts of Redbridge, you’ll need to apply for a selective licence.
This applies to all privately rented properties occupied by a single person, two people or single household.
You’ll not be able to evict anyone without a licence. Tenants can reclaim from you up to 12 months' rent.
Renting without a licence is illegal. It can lead to fines or court action.
Check if your property needs a selective licence
There are two different selective licencing schemes
Scheme 3
You'll need a licence if your property is in one of these wards:
- Valentines
- Ilford Town
View notice of designation for selective licensing scheme 3. This gives the full details of the scheme, properties and areas it applies to.
Scheme 4
You'll need a licence if your property is in one of these wards:
- Aldborough
- Barkingside
- Chadwell
- Churchfields
- Clementswood
- Cranbrook
- Fairlop
- Goodmayes
- Hainault
- Loxford
- Mayfield
- Newbury
- Seven Kings
- South Woodford
- Wanstead Village
View notice of designation for selective licensing scheme 4. This gives the full details of the scheme, properties and areas it applies to.
Properties which do not need a licence
Some properties do not need a licence. These are:
- holiday lets
- business premises
- socially let properties
- student accommodation owned by a university
- any property where the landlord already holds an HMO licence
- properties that are empty
See The Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006 for full details.
Temporary exemptions
You might qualify for a temporary exemption if you’re taking steps that will mean your property will no longer need a licence. This exemption will last for up to three months.
You might qualify if you:
- are no longer renting out your property
- have sold your property
We do not charge for a temporary exemption.
You'll need to provide us with evidence that you're taking steps to achieve this. For example:
- court documents if you are evicting a tenant
- a contract with an estate agent if you are selling the property
If you need more time, you can apply for a second temporary notice. You must do this before the first notice runs out.
You can only apply for two temporary exemption notices.
Apply for a temporary exemption notice
Cost
The fee for a selective licence is £890 for each property.
If you show proof of your accreditation when you apply, you’ll get a £35 discount on the second payment.
You’ll need to pay the fee in two parts:
- £331 when you submit the application
- £559 if the application is successful (£524 for accredited landlords)
There is an extra £124.20 fee if you complete a paper application.
What you need
You'll need:
- a gas safety certificate for all gas appliances
- an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
- Portable appliance test certificate (PAT test)
- an energy performance certificate. We’ll only approve licenses for properties with grades A-E
- Proof that you went to a landlord accreditation course. The course must be from LLAS or a similar organisation. You’ll need to do this within 18 months of getting the full licence
Make sure you have all the information you need before you start.
You’ll need to add your documents when you apply online.
How to apply
You’ll need to apply for a licence for each property you rent out in the relevant wards.
This guidance will help you complete the application form:
If you have any questions, contact us
What happens next?
We’ll check your application and process this within three months. This will be from the date you have submitted your full application and paid the first part of the fee.
We may ask you to provide us with more information.
We’ll send you an email to tell you of our decision.
Conditions of the licence
If we approve your selective license, we’ll send you a draft licence.
We’ll wait 14 days before we issue you with a final licence. This will give you the opportunity to review what we have put on your licence.
We may visit your property during the time of your licence. This is to make sure that you're meeting the conditions and the property is safe to be lived in.
We may ask you to show proof or provide a declaration that you are meeting a condition.
See Selective licence conditions
Refunds
We’ll give you a refund if you:
- sent in the same application more than once
- applied for an exempt property by mistake
The refund will only go to the person who paid. and we’ll use the same payment method (like the credit card you used).
You’ll not get a refund if:
- we refuse your application
- you cancel your application
- you sell or stop renting your property
- there is a Prohibition Notice on your property
- we take away your licence
If you’re unsure if the property needs a licence
We can also visit your property if you’re unsure about the conditions inside the property.
We’ll look at your property and give you a report. This report will tell you what you need to fix to make it suitable for renting.
This service will cost £477.
