Council licensing report

Landlord licensing in Barnet

Barnet runs at least one local property licensing scheme. Some rules apply to the whole council. Others apply only to listed streets, wards, or mapped areas, so the postcode alone does not always give a yes-or-no answer.

What landlords need to know

Status

Barnet

Additional HMO

Mandatory HMO (national)

Selective licensing: 1 active
Additional HMO licensing: 1 active
Mandatory HMO licensing: Applies nationally
Local scheme coverage: Listed streets or areas
Active local schemes: 1 active scheme
Last checked: 22 May 2026

Selective licensing in Barnet

Who is covered, fees, dates and exemptions.

HMO licensing in Barnet

Mandatory and additional HMO rules with thresholds.

Check a postcode and address in Barnet

Enter the postcode to confirm the council, then pick the address. If a scheme uses a street list, we check the selected street against it and give a direct yes or no.

Local schemes in Barnet

Barnet approved selective licensing phases

Selective licensing · proposed · Listed wards

Coverage: Listed wards
Ends: Not listed

Barnet says selective licensing phases have been approved for Burnt Oak, Colindale North, Colindale South and ten further wards, but no selective scheme is currently running.

Show the 13 wards covered by this scheme

Burnt Oak, Childs Hill, Colindale North, Colindale South, Cricklewood, Edgware, Edgwarebury, Finchley Church End, Golders Green, Hendon, Mill Hill, West Finchley, West Hendon.

Barnet additional HMO licensing 2022 to 2027

Additional HMO licensing · active · Whole council area · 27 Oct 2022 to 27 Oct 2027

Coverage: Whole council area
Fee: £1,872

Barnet additional HMO licensing applies borough-wide to HMOs under section 254 occupied by three or more people in two or more households, and to certain section 257 HMOs.

How each scheme is scoped in Barnet

A property licensing scheme is not the same everywhere. A council can designate the whole borough, a handful of wards, a list of streets, or a boundary drawn on a map. Whichever option Barnet chose changes how confident you can be from the postcode alone.

Barnet additional HMO licensing 2022 to 2027

This scheme covers the whole of Barnet. Every privately rented property inside the council boundary is in scope.

Common rental setups in Barnet

The right licence depends on who lives in the property, how the household is structured, and where the property sits in the council area. These are the situations we see most often, with what Barnet's current rules say about each.

Single tenant in a flat or studio

No licence needed

One adult renting a self-contained flat or a studio with their own kitchen and bathroom.

No landlord licence is needed under current Barnet rules. Mandatory HMO licensing does not apply because this is one household.

Couple renting a whole house

No licence needed

Two people from one household renting an entire house on one tenancy.

No landlord licence is needed under current Barnet rules. Mandatory HMO licensing does not apply because this is one household.

Family renting a whole house

No licence needed

Parents and dependent children from one household renting an entire house.

No landlord licence is needed under current Barnet rules. Mandatory HMO licensing does not apply because this is one household.

Three sharers from different households

Licence needed

Three friends or three unrelated tenants on a joint tenancy, sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Needs an additional HMO licence anywhere in Barnet. Mandatory HMO licensing only kicks in at five or more occupiers, so this property is not in scope of the national rule.

Four sharers from different households

Licence needed

Four unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Needs an additional HMO licence anywhere in Barnet. Mandatory HMO licensing only kicks in at five or more occupiers, so this property is not in scope of the national rule.

Five or more sharers from different households

Licence needed

Five or more unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen and bathroom.

Needs a mandatory HMO licence anywhere in England. The five-or-more, two-or-more-households test is national, not council-specific. Barnet's additional HMO scheme covers the whole council, so its conditions stack on top of the mandatory licence.

Lodger with a live-in landlord

No licence needed

Owner-occupier letting a room to one or two lodgers in their own home.

Letting to a lodger while you live in the property is exempt from HMO licensing in most cases. Selective licensing exemptions also normally cover owner-occupier lets.

Student house of five

Licence needed

Five students from at least two households sharing a converted house.

Buying a property in Barnet

A property licence does not transfer when a property changes hands. If you buy a let property that needs a licence under Barnet's rules, the existing licence ends and you need to apply for a new one in your own name. The seller's solicitor should disclose any existing licence and any open enforcement notices.

For conveyancing in Barnet, ask three things before exchange. First, is the property inside any current selective or additional HMO scheme area. Second, is there an active licence in the seller's name and on what conditions. Third, has the council issued a civil penalty, banning order or rent repayment order against the seller in the last six years.

Owner-occupiers buying to live in the property do not need a licence. The rules only apply when a property is rented out.

Scheme changes and consultations

Barnet selective licensing phases approved but not started

Selective licensing · Approved, not started

Coverage: Listed wards
Timing: Dates not listed

Barnet says two selective licensing phases have been approved, but its official page also says no selective licensing scheme is currently running and final commencement dates are still to be confirmed.

Talk to Barnet directly

Anything on this page that you cannot find an answer to, the council's licensing team can confirm in minutes.

Email the licensing team

[email protected]

Phone the licensing team

020 8359 5355

Apply for a licence

Application form on Barnet's website

Public licence register

Search licensed properties in Barnet

Official licensing page

Barnet council guidance