Islington selective licensing: 7 new wards from 23 November

The short answer

From 23 November 2026, most privately rented homes in seven more Islington wards need a selective licence from Islington Council: Barnsbury, Caledonian, Highbury, Junction, Laycock, Mildmay and Tufnell Park. The council says landlords in these wards must apply by 23 November 2026.

A selective licence costs £850 per property, paid in two parts, with discounts of £75 for accredited landlords and £50 for homes rated EPC A to C. Letting a property that needs a licence without one is a criminal offence, with fines of up to £40,000.

The scheme sits alongside the one already running in Finsbury Park, Hillrise and Tollington, and lasts until November 2031.

Key facts

• New wards: Barnsbury, Caledonian, Tufnell Park, Mildmay, Highbury, Junction and Laycock. Islington Council designation, 21 August 2026

• Start date: the designation was made on 21 August 2026, comes into force at 12am on 23 November 2026 and ends at 11.59pm on 22 November 2031. Islington Council designation

• Who needs one: privately rented homes let to one person, two people sharing, or a single household such as a family. HMOs, owner-occupied homes and social housing are not covered. Islington Council designation

• Fee: £850 for the whole property, paid as Part A when you apply and Part B if the licence is granted. Fees are not refunded once you apply. Islington Council: how to apply

• Discounts: £75 for an accredited landlord, £50 for an EPC rating of A, B or C, and £25 for a renewal with no gap. They add together and come off Part B. Islington Council: how to apply

• Penalties: prosecution with an unlimited fine, or a fine of up to £40,000, and tenants can claim back rent paid while the property was unlicensed. Islington Council: if you do not have a licence

Which Islington wards need a selective licence?

There are now two selective licensing schemes in Islington:

• Already in force (2024 scheme): Finsbury Park, Hillrise and Tollington.
• New from 23 November 2026: Barnsbury, Caledonian, Highbury, Junction, Laycock, Mildmay and Tufnell Park.

Ward boundaries don't always follow the area names people use, so check the exact address. The council's check what type of licence you need page links to a local area tool: enter the postcode, pick the address and it shows the ward.

Does my property need a selective licence?

In those ten wards, a privately rented home needs a selective licence if it is let to:

• one person
• two people sharing, whether or not they are related
• any number of people living as a single household, such as a family

If three or more people from two or more households share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet, the property is an HMO and needs an HMO licence instead. Islington runs additional HMO licensing for 3 or 4 sharers and mandatory licensing for 5 or more, so check which one applies. Our guide on what happens if you rent out an unlicensed HMO covers the HMO side.

The scheme doesn't cover owner-occupied homes or homes owned or managed by the council or a housing association.

How much does an Islington selective licence cost?

The fee is £850 for the whole property, paid in two parts:

• Part A: paid when you apply, for processing and assessing the application.
• Part B: paid if the council grants the licence, for running and enforcing the scheme.

Discounts come off Part B and add together:

• £75 if you're an accredited landlord, for example through the London Landlord Accreditation Scheme, the NRLA or Propertymark
• £50 if the property's EPC is A, B or C
• £25 if you renew with no gap between licences

So an accredited landlord with an EPC C property would pay £725. A licence can last up to five years, but the council can give a shorter one, for example if the property was let without a licence before.

The fee is per property. If you let three homes in the new wards, you make three applications and pay three fees.

What do you need to apply?

You apply online through a landlord account on the council's licensing system. The council's list includes:

• names and addresses of everyone with an interest in the property
• room sizes, plus details of kitchens and bathrooms
• the gas safety certificate (if there's gas)
• the EICR
• the energy performance certificate
• fire alarm and emergency lighting certificates, where installed
• the full tenancy agreement, including rent and deposit amounts
• floor plans
• PAT test certificates, if you provide appliances
• your accreditation certificate, if you have one

If anything is missing, the council can reject the application and you pay again to reapply. The licence holder must also pass a "fit and proper person" test.

Most of the effort is gathering certificates that are already out of date or sitting in an email from three years ago. Check the expiry dates before you start: an EICR is needed every five years and a gas safety check every year.

What happens if you don't apply?

Letting a property that needs a licence without one is a criminal offence. Islington Council says it can:

• prosecute, with an unlimited fine
• fine you up to £40,000
• give you a shorter licence
• add you to the Mayor of London's rogue landlord database and the national database of rogue landlords
• apply for a banning order

Tenants can also apply for a rent repayment order to get back some or all of the rent they paid while the property was unlicensed.

Selective licensing and the landlord register are separate

A selective licence from Islington Council is not the same as the government's new landlord register. From December 2026, landlords in England with assured or regulated tenancies must register themselves and each property on the "Register your rental property" service, at £65 per property a year. London properties must be registered by 14 October 2027.

In Islington you may need both. Our guide to England's landlord database registration has every regional deadline.

A checklist for Islington landlords

1. Check the ward for each property with the council's postcode tool.
2. Check who lives there: one household, or sharers who make it an HMO.
3. Gather the documents: gas safety, EICR, EPC, tenancy agreement and deposit details, floor plans.
4. Check the EPC. If it's A to C you get £50 off. If it's below E, fix that first: it can't legally be let under the minimum energy standards. The free EPC checker shows the rating on the register.
5. Apply by 23 November 2026, and keep the receipt for the fee: licence fees are normally an allowable expense against your rental income.
6. Diary the expiry. A licence lasts up to five years, so note when it runs out.

How AskPortfoliq helps

AskPortfoliq keeps the documents an Islington application asks for in one place, property by property: gas safety records, EICRs, EPCs, tenancy agreements and deposit details, each with its expiry date and a reminder before it runs out. When the council asks for them, they're ready to download rather than hunted down.

You can do it by message too. On WhatsApp, Telegram or the web, send a photo of the receipt for the licence fee and it's saved as a cost against the right property, ready for your tax-year figures. Add the licence itself with its expiry date, and you'll be reminded before it's due for renewal.

Sources

• Islington Council: Designation of an Area for Selective Licensing 2026 (PDF)
• Islington Council: Check what type of property licence you need
• Islington Council: How to apply for a property licence
• Islington Council: If you do not have a licence
• Housing Act 2004, Part 3 (selective licensing)
• GOV.UK: Register your rental property