Selective Licensing in Wandsworth

Wandsworth has just moved from light-touch to full-on: borough-wide additional HMO licensing from 1 September 2025 and selective licensing for most single-lets in key wards from 1 July 2025, with more wards added from April 2026.

Scheme status, areas, dates

Selective licensing

Wandsworth runs selective licensing in two phases.

Designation 1 (from 1 July 2025):

• Wards: Furzedown, South Balham, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway.
• Applies to all private rented properties let to a single household or up to two unrelated sharers in these wards, unless exempt or already HMO-licensed.
• Duration: 1 July 2025 - 30 June 2030.

Designation 2 (from 1 April 2026):

• Wards: East Putney, West Putney, Northcote.
• Same scope: all single-lets and 1-2-sharer lets, excluding HMOs.
• Duration: 1 April 2026 - 31 March 2031.

Council's checker now says: "As of July 2025, private rented properties in Furzedown, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, South Balham need a selective licence," and from April 2026, the list extends to East and West Putney and Northcote.

Additional HMO licensing (context)

• Start: 1 September 2025.
• Area: Borough-wide.
• Scope: Most HMOs with 3+ unrelated tenants not already mandatory-licensed, including shared houses/flats and some multi-occupied flats. Section 257 HMOs are excluded.

So from late 2025:

• 3+ sharers anywhere in Wandsworth: HMO licence (mandatory or additional).
• 1-2 people / single household in the 7 selective wards: selective licence.

Fees and licence conditions

Fees (2025-26 schedule)

From the council's fees page and London Property Licensing:

Selective licence:

• Total: GBP 850 per property for up to 5 years.
• Part A: GBP 510.
• Part B: GBP 340.

Additional HMO licence:

• Total: GBP 1,450 per property.
• Part A: GBP 870.
• Part B: GBP 580.

Trade coverage notes larger HMOs can exceed GBP 1,647-2,000+ under some bandings, but the base council schedule shows GBP 1,450 as standard.

Discounts:

• Early bird: 30% off Part A for applications submitted between 1 July 2025 and 1 January 2026 (Designation 1), and a separate early-bird window for Designation 2 from 1 April 2026 to 1 October 2026.
• Gold Standard charter: up to 40% discount on Part B for managing agents/landlords who sign up to Wandsworth's voluntary Gold Standard (higher-than-minimum management and safety).

Conditions and enforcement

Wandsworth's "Enforcement and licence conditions" page lays out the basics:

If a property that needs a licence is let without one:

• You can be prosecuted or receive a civil penalty up to GBP 30,000.
• Tenants may seek Rent Repayment Orders for up to 12 months' rent.

Licence conditions (selective and HMO):

• Fit and proper person test for licence holder/manager.
• Property free from serious hazards; adequate heating, electrics and structure.
• Smoke and CO alarms, valid gas safety certificate, EICR, and EPC.
• Written tenancies, deposit protection.
• Management standards: repairs, inspections, ASB procedures, waste.
• HMO licences carry extra conditions on bedroom sizes, amenity ratios, fire doors and escape routes.

Council press update (Nov 2025) notes: 5,955 licence applications since July and 444 inspections already, with 85 safety notices issued (fire doors missing, undersized bedrooms, other hazards).

Exemptions and application process

Exemptions

As in other boroughs, selective licensing does not apply to:

• Properties already holding a mandatory or additional HMO licence.
• Certain social housing, some student halls, long leases, business tenancies.

If in doubt, the council directs landlords to the designation notice and the online property licence check tool.

How to apply

Landlords must use Wandsworth's online property licensing portal; the checker tells you whether you need selective or HMO licensing based on postcode and occupancy.

Pay Part A on application, Part B on grant.

Early-bird discount requires submitting a valid, complete application within the window; applying late loses the discount and increases the risk of enforcement.

Impact on the Wandsworth market and landlord response

From the consultation pack, NRLA updates, Yuno analysis and local news:

Why Wandsworth did this:

• Targeted evidence of poor conditions and ASB in parts of Tooting, Balham and Furzedown.
• Desire to drive up standards in smaller HMOs borough-wide.

Take-up: By late 2025, Wandsworth reported 3,400+ licence applications and hundreds of inspections, already uncovering serious safety issues (fire doors, undersized rooms).

Landlord reaction:

• Landlord bodies and Propertymark objected to borough-wide additional licensing and selective coverage over more than 20% of PRS, citing cost and overlap with other powers.
• Some small landlords are selling or avoiding Tooting/Balham/Putney; others are signing up to Gold Standard to secure fee discounts and badge themselves as compliant.

Compared with Newham/Lewisham:

• Geography: Wandsworth's selective schemes target 7 wards, not the whole borough.
• HMO coverage: additional licensing is borough-wide, which many outer London boroughs have not yet copied.
• Fees: GBP 850 selective and GBP 1,450 additional HMO put Wandsworth in the upper-mid London band, but below the very highest HMO fee councils.

What forums get wrong about Wandsworth

Myth 1: "Wandsworth only licenses big HMOs; single-lets are unaffected."

Reality: From 1 July 2025 and 1 April 2026, all private rented single-lets and 1-2-sharer lets in Furzedown, South Balham, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, East Putney, West Putney and Northcote need a selective licence, unless they already have an HMO licence.

Myth 2: "Additional HMO licensing is just for Tooting / Balham."

Reality: Additional HMO licensing is borough-wide from 1 September 2025, covering most HMOs with 3+ unrelated tenants in any ward.

Myth 3: "Fees are minor admin charges."

Reality: Wandsworth charges GBP 850 per selective licence and GBP 1,450 per additional HMO licence, with early-bird and Gold Standard discounts limited to specific time windows and conditions.

Myth 4: "The council will write to me, I can wait."

Reality: The enforcement page is clear: managing or controlling a licensable property without a licence risks prosecution or civil penalties up to GBP 30,000. Early-bird discounts end 1 January 2026 for Designation 1 and 1 October 2026 for Designation 2; after that you pay full whack and are more exposed to enforcement.

Legislation tracker, budget coverage, new tools. Free, no spam.

Didn't find what you were looking for?