Property Licensing

Overview

Barking and Dagenham are committed to ensuring all residents have safe and healthy homes. To achieve this, we use a range of enforcement tools, including property licensing, to improve the quality and management of private rented housing. Property licensing schemes require landlords to obtain a licence to rent out their properties legally, ensuring that homes are decent, well-maintained, and safe for tenants.

The schemes vary based on the type of property, such as family homes or shared houses. As part of the application process, we carry out checks to ensure landlords meet their legal obligations and are deemed "fit and proper persons." This includes inspecting properties to identify and address any potential hazards to tenants' health.

Current and upcoming schemes

Landlords and property managing agents letting properties in Barking and Dagenham must apply for a licence if their property falls into one of the following categories:

  1. Mandatory HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) Licence
    • Required for properties occupied by five or more persons forming two or more households.
  2. Additional HMO Licence (effective from 9 January 2025)
    • Required for properties occupied by three or four persons forming two or more households.
    • Applications open on Monday, 9 December 2024.
  3. Selective Licence (effective from 6 April 2025)
    • Required for properties occupied by a single household.
    • Applications open on Monday, 17 March 2025. 

Scheme objectives 

Our licensing schemes are designed to improve housing standards, tenant protection, and neighbourhood desirability. We will report annually on our progress against these objectives.

Objective Targets Applicable Areas
1. Improving the safety and desirability of neighbourhoods by tackling ASB (anti-social behaviour) connected to private rented sector (PRS) homes

- Reduce ASB incident rates in PRS homes to align with the borough-wide average for all households. 

- Reduce repeat ASB incidents to align with borough averages.

 All HMO Designations, Selective Licensing Designation Areas 1 & 3
2. Reducing factors contributing to deprivation in PRS homes

- Increase support for tenants facing unlawful evictions and harassment, aiming for measurable improvements in intervention outcomes.

 - Improve energy performance of licensed PRS homes to tackle fuel poverty (e.g., measurable improvements in EPC ratings of D or below).

 All HMO Designations, Selective Licensing Designation Areas 1 & 2
3. Raising the quality of management of PRS homes

- Reduce compliance inspection failure rates to align with the national average for “non-decent” PRS homes. 

-Ensure at least 80% of licensable properties are licensed by the end of the scheme.

 All HMO Designations, All Selective Licensing Designation Areas
4. Reducing the number of non-compliant, unlicensed, and criminal landlords

- Use intelligence to enforce against at least 5% of unlicensed properties. 

- Conduct a minimum of 1,500 targeted spot checks throughout the scheme. 

- Address loopholes and strengthen enforcement frameworks.

 All HMO Designations, All Selective Licensing Designation Areas
5. Delivering an excellent service that is fair and robust

- Streamline the application process and inspect properties within six months of application. 

- Establish a strong tenant voice and raise awareness of property licensing. 

- Enhance transparency and provide clear guidance for landlords and agents.

 All HMO Designations, All Selective Licensing Designation Areas

How your views have shaped our approach to licensing

At Barking & Dagenham, we put co-production and the voice of our community in the heart of everything we do. In early 2024, we undertook a ten-week public consultation to seek feedback on our proposals to introduce: a replacement Selective Licensing scheme for single-family homes, and a new Additional HMO Licensing scheme for small, shared homes (HMOs) not covered by the mandatory HMO licensing

For more information on the public consultation and learn how your views shaped the scheme, the findings, and our official response can be found on our consultation webpage.