Find out about mandatory, additional and selective licences and if you need one. What happens if you do not have one when you should.
We introduced selective and additional licensing schemes to help improve the private rented sector in Southwark.
Additional licensing applies to houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) not covered by mandatory licensing.
This includes an HMO:
let to a maximum of 4 people with shared bathrooms or kitchens
a section 257 HMO, where the building is 3 or more floors and converted into 3 or more self-contained flats, and both the building and flats are under the same ownership or control
flats in multiple occupation in a purpose-built block of flats that houses three or more flats
If you need a licence for a section 257 HMO, you may also need to apply for other licences for the flats within the building.
There is no charge for section 257 HMO licences.