Tower Hamlets Council Is Moving To Data-Led Enforcement
Property Licensing Guide for Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets currently operates selective licensing and additional licensing in 20 wards; mandatory HMO licensing applies everywhere. Last checked: 25 August 2026.
This free guide will provide you with the key details regarding what licensing requirements are necessary in this area and how to apply for a licence.
New to this? Read our overview: What is selective licensing?
Tower Hamlets Property Licensing Schemes
Got questions about licensing schemes in Tower Hamlets? We’re here to help. This free guide will provide you with the key details regarding what licensing requirements are necessary in Tower Hamlets and how to apply for a licence.
Is manual compliance causing a headache for your agency? At Kamma, we specialise in automating licensing compliance for agents across the UK. If you need any assistance in getting your property portfolio compliant, find out how we can help letting agents here.
Not sure whether a Tower Hamlets property needs a licence? Kamma's free checker covers selective, additional and HMO schemes.
Check a Tower Hamlets property →What are the licensing requirements for Tower Hamlets?
Mandatory licensing in Tower Hamlets
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across Tower Hamlets (and all of England) to larger HMOs. These are properties occupied by five or more people forming more than one household, including:
- Shared houses and flats occupied by students and young professionals.
- Properties converted into bedsits with some shared facilities.
- Properties converted into a mix of self-contained and non-self-contained accommodation.
Do I need an additional property licence in Tower Hamlets?
Additional licensing requires smaller HMOs in a designated area to be licensed. That means a privately rented property with three or more people forming more than one household.
Tower Hamlets operates additional HMO licensing. The current designation is set out below.
Do I need a selective licence in Tower Hamlets?
Selective licensing requires almost all privately rented properties in a designated area to be licensed, regardless of the number of occupants.
Tower Hamlets operates selective licensing. The current designation is set out below.
Additional licensing: 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2029, borough-wide (all 20 wards).
Selective licensing: 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2026, covering Spitalfields & Banglatown, Stepney Green, Weavers and Whitechapel.
Mandatory HMO licensing: in force since 2006 for HMOs of five or more people forming more than one household.
How do I apply for a licence?
You can apply for a licence via Tower Hamlets Council’s website here. Or let Kamma’s expert team process the application for you.
How much does a licence cost?
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Selective licence fee | £897 online (Part A £422, Part B £530); renewals £747. |
| Additional HMO licence fee | £1,323 online (Part A £618, Part B £787.50). |
| Mandatory HMO licence fee | £977 online (Part A £453.50, Part B £583.50) plus £68.50 per habitable room. |
Postal applications cost more.
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Tower Hamlets Property Licensing FAQs
What licensing schemes does Tower Hamlets operate?
Tower Hamlets operates selective and additional licensing (1 October 2021 to 30 September 2026), alongside the national mandatory HMO scheme. See the scheme details above.
Do all properties in Tower Hamlets need a licence?
It depends on the scheme and your property. Where selective licensing applies, most privately rented homes need a licence; HMOs fall under mandatory or additional licensing depending on size and occupancy.What if my property doesn't have a licence?
Operating a property that requires a licence without one can bring civil penalties of up to £40,000 per property. The landlord also risks a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent and cannot serve a Section 21 notice. A letting agent who manages the property or collects the rent commits the offence too and can be fined separately.Can letting agents apply on behalf of landlords?
Yes. Letting agents can apply for property licences on behalf of landlords in Tower Hamlets, and many manage the full process.
How do I apply for a Tower Hamlets property licence?
You can apply through Tower Hamlets Council’s website (licensing pages), or use a managed service such as Kamma.
Why did Tower Hamlets introduce selective licensing?
Selective licensing is used to improve housing conditions and tackle anti-social behaviour in the private rented sector.
Why did Tower Hamlets introduce additional licensing?
Additional HMO licensing addresses overcrowding, disrepair and management standards in smaller HMOs not covered by the national mandatory scheme.
What are the conditions to obtain an HMO licence in Tower Hamlets?
The council’s HMO licence conditions set standards for fire safety, amenities, room sizes and management (licence conditions).
About Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets is an inner borough of London, stretching east from the Tower of London and encompassing much of the East End. Bounded by the River Thames to the south, the City of London to the west, Tower Hamlets to the north, and Newham to the east, it is part of the historic county of Middlesex. Formed in 1965 by merging the boroughs of Bethnal Green, Poplar, and Stepney, it includes areas like Spitalfields, Whitechapel, Bethnal Green, and the Isle of Dogs
Licensing Enforcement in Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets Council enforces property licensing across its schemes. Letting a property without the required licence risks prosecution and civil penalties of up to £40,000 per property. The landlord can also face a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent. Where a letting agent manages the property or collects the rent, the agent commits the offence too and can be fined in its own right.
Neighbouring borough guides
Licensing schemes stop at the borough boundary. A property one street over can need a different licence. Guides for the neighbouring boroughs:
Tracking licensing across a managed portfolio
A single Tower Hamlets address can be checked by hand. An agency managing several hundred properties across Tower Hamlets and the boroughs around it cannot work that way, and designations change often enough that a check made last quarter may no longer hold.
Kamma connects to the CRM your agency already works in and reads the address and tenancy fields a licensing determination depends on. The licensing position for each property then sits beside the record your team is already looking at.
Pages covering what Kamma reads from each system and how to connect it are available for Reapit, Street.co.uk, MRI Sales and Lettings, MRI Radar, Apex27, Acquaint CRM, Jupix, iamproperty, SME Professional, Rex Software, SleekTech. Alto and agentOS also integrate. The full list is on the CRM integrations page.
