The new Croydon landlord licensing schemes came into force today, meaning thousands of privately rented homes across the borough need a council licence for the first time.
From 25 September 2026, landlords letting out single-family homes in 14 designated wards must hold a selective licence, while a separate borough-wide additional HMO licensing scheme covers smaller houses in multiple occupation lived in by three or four people. From today it is a legal requirement to hold the right licence for any qualifying property, on top of the existing mandatory HMO licensing for homes occupied by five or more people.
The selective licensing scheme covers Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Bensham Manor, Broad Green, Fairfield, Norbury and Pollards Hill, Norbury Park, Selhurst, South Croydon, South Norwood, Thornton Heath, Waddon, West Thornton and Woodside. A selective licence costs £800 and lasts five years. The additional HMO scheme applies across the whole borough to properties occupied by three or four people living as two or more households, where they are not already covered by mandatory HMO licensing. An additional HMO licence costs £1,250 for five years. Both schemes run for five years, to 1 September 2031.
Croydon Council says the schemes, made under the Housing Act 2004, are intended to drive up standards in the private rented sector and improve conditions for tenants and the wider community. Licence holders will need to meet conditions on the management and condition of their properties. Landlords who already hold a mandatory HMO licence do not need a further licence for the same property, but any other properties they let out may still need one.
Landlords can apply online from today — and the council has warned against trying to submit an application any earlier. The application system, run by The Oyster Partnership on the council’s behalf, only opened on the day the schemes took effect.
The timing has not been without controversy. The schemes were originally due to start on 1 September but were pushed back to 25 September, and property industry site property118 warned that opening the application system on the very day the legal requirement began risked leaving landlords unsure of their position. Richard Tacagni of London Property Licensing said: “The situation in Croydon highlights the risk of implementing a licensing scheme before all the building blocks are in place,” calling for “clear, simple and timely communication” from councils introducing new schemes.
Licensing has been a running theme at the town hall this year. London Streets has previously reported on the council’s temporary accommodation strategy, which runs to 2030, while councillors have also scrutinised a bid for a 24-hour gambling licence in Crystal Palace.
The council held an online webinar for landlords and managing agents walking through the application process, including a question-and-answer session on the new requirements. Full licence conditions for both schemes are published on the council’s website, alongside details of the designated wards, for anyone unsure whether their property is covered.
For landlords, the council’s message is straightforward: check whether your properties fall within the new schemes and get an application in. Full details of who needs a licence, the conditions attached and how to apply are published on Croydon Council’s licensing pages, and London Property Licensing has published its own guide to the schemes here. Industry reaction to the delayed start was covered by property118.
Reporting based on Croydon Council and property118.
