Council licensing report
Brent 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.
Status
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.
Selective licensing · active · Listed wards · 1 Aug 2023 to 31 Jul 2028
Brent selective licensing designation 1 applies in Dollis Hill, Harlesden and Kensal Green, and Willesden Green from 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2028.
Dollis Hill, Harlesden and Kensal Green, Willesden Green.
Selective licensing · active · Listed wards · 1 Apr 2024 to 31 Mar 2029
Brent selective licensing designation 2 applies in 18 wards from 1 April 2024. The linked legal designation and main council page state that it lasts for five years, with Wembley Park and the designation 1 wards excluded.
Alperton, Barnhill, Brondesbury Park, Cricklewood & Mapesbury, Dollis Hill, Harlesden and Kensal Green, Kenton, Kilburn, Kingsbury, Northwick Park, Preston, Queens Park, Queensbury, Roundwood, Stonebridge, Sudbury, Tokyngton, Welsh Harp, Wembley Central, Wembley Hill, Wembley Park, Willesden Green.
Additional HMO licensing · active · Whole council area · 2 Feb 2026 to 2 Feb 2031
Brent additional HMO licensing applies borough-wide from 2 February 2026 to HMOs occupied by three or four people in two or more households and other HMOs described by the council notice.
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 Brent chose changes how confident you can be from the postcode alone.
This scheme covers 3 named wards. The postcode confirms the council, but the address has to fall inside one of those wards before the licence applies.
This scheme covers 22 named wards. The postcode confirms the council, but the address has to fall inside one of those wards before the licence applies.
This scheme covers the whole of Brent. Every privately rented property inside the council boundary is in scope.
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 Brent's current rules say about each.
One adult renting a self-contained flat or a studio with their own kitchen and bathroom.
May need a selective licence if the address sits inside Brent's designated scheme area.
Two people from one household renting an entire house on one tenancy.
May need a selective licence if the address sits inside Brent's designated scheme area.
Parents and dependent children from one household renting an entire house.
May need a selective licence if the address sits inside Brent's designated scheme area.
Three friends or three unrelated tenants on a joint tenancy, sharing a kitchen and bathroom.
Needs an additional HMO licence anywhere in Brent. Mandatory HMO licensing only kicks in at five or more occupiers, so this property is not in scope of the national rule.
Four unrelated tenants sharing a kitchen and bathroom.
Needs an additional HMO licence anywhere in Brent. 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 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. Brent's additional HMO scheme covers the whole council, so its conditions stack on top of the mandatory licence.
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.
Five students from at least two households sharing a converted house.
Needs a mandatory HMO licence anywhere in England. The five-or-more, two-or-more-households test is national, not council-specific. Brent's additional HMO scheme covers the whole council, so its conditions stack on top of the mandatory licence.
A property licence does not transfer when a property changes hands. If you buy a let property that needs a licence under Brent'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 Brent, 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.
Anything on this page that you cannot find an answer to, the council's licensing team can confirm in minutes.