Islington
Islington Selective Licensing Exemptions
Selective licensing in Islington applies to all privately rented accommodation occupied by one or two people, a single family, or a household. Three categories fall outside it. A fourth group is not exempt at all, but covered by a different scheme, which is the distinction that catches people out.
What is exempt
These three sit outside selective licensing entirely.
Social housing
Property let by a local authority or a registered provider of social housing is outside the scheme.
Holiday lets
Short-term holiday accommodation is not privately rented accommodation for the purposes of the scheme.
Already licensed as an HMO
A property holding a mandatory or additional HMO licence does not also need a selective licence.
Covered by a different scheme, not exempt
A shared house is not outside licensing because selective licensing does not reach it. It is covered by another scheme, on a different fee basis.
| Occupancy | Scheme | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Five or more people from two or more households | Mandatory HMO | Borough-wide, since 2006 |
| Three or four people from two or more households | Additional HMO | Borough-wide, 1 February 2026 to 31 January 2031 |
| One or two people, a single family, or a household | Selective | 10 of the 17 wards |
The schemes do not overlap: a property licensed under one does not need another. Occupancy decides which scheme applies, and geography decides only whether the selective scheme reaches the property at all. HMO fees are charged per letting rather than per property, so a misclassified shared house is not a small billing error: see Islington property licence fees.
Geography is the other exemption
Selective licensing applies in 10 of Islington’s 17 wards. A privately rented home in Arsenal, Bunhill, Canonbury, Clerkenwell, Holloway, St Mary’s & St James’ and St Peter’s & Canalside needs no selective licence. Mandatory and additional HMO licensing apply borough-wide, so a shared house in those wards may still need one.
Ward boundaries do not follow postcode boundaries, so a postcode is not a reliable test of whether a specific property is in scope.
The full ward list is on the Islington selective licensing wards page.
What happens next
No commencement date has been published. This is the sequence the Housing Act sets.
21 August 2026
Designation made
7 September 2026
Applications open
23 November 2026
Scheme takes effect
Check a specific property
Exempt, covered, or covered by a different scheme. The answer depends on the address and the occupancy.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Property let by a local authority or a registered provider is outside the scheme.
No. A property already licensed as an HMO, whether mandatory or additional, does not also need a selective licence.
No. Short-term holiday accommodation is not privately rented accommodation for the purposes of the scheme.
Not exempt, but covered by a different scheme. Three or four sharers from two or more households fall under borough-wide additional HMO licensing; five or more fall under mandatory HMO licensing. Selective licensing covers one or two people, a single family, or a household.
Not a selective licence. Mandatory and additional HMO licensing apply across the whole borough, so a shared house outside the designated wards may still need one.
