Wandsworth is our home borough and the one we know best. It also now has three property licensing schemes running at once, and since April 2026 a second selective designation that caught a lot of Putney landlords by surprise.
This page sets out what actually applies in Wandsworth, what it costs, and what you have to do. If you would rather just talk it through, our number is at the bottom.
Licensing is different in each borough. See our guides to Merton, Lambeth, Croydon, Kingston, Sutton and Southwark in South London, and Brent and Hillingdon in West London.
Which licence your Wandsworth property needs
Wandsworth runs all three types of scheme. Most landlords need one of them, and which one depends on how the property is let and, for selective licensing, which ward it sits in.
Mandatory HMO licence
Applies borough wide. Required where at least five tenants from two or more households live in the property and share a toilet, bathroom or kitchen.
Additional HMO licence
Applies borough wide since 1 July 2025. This is the scheme that caught the most people out. It covers HMOs that fall outside mandatory licensing, which in practice means:
- An HMO let to a maximum of four people sharing a bathroom or kitchen
- Flats in multiple occupation inside a purpose built block of three or more flats
Wandsworth has excluded section 257 HMOs, meaning certain converted blocks of self-contained flats, from the additional scheme. That exclusion has a sting in it: if the converted block sits inside a selective licensing ward, each individual flat then needs its own selective licence unless separately exempt.
Selective licence
Required for privately rented properties that are not covered by mandatory or additional licensing, in designated wards only. Wandsworth has made two designations.
Designation 1, from July 2025: Furzedown, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, South Balham.
Designation 2, from April 2026: East Putney, West Putney, Northcote.
Ward boundaries do not follow postcodes or how people describe where they live, and East Putney and West Putney as wards are not the same thing as Putney as an area. Check on the council’s own map before assuming you are outside it.
What a Wandsworth licence costs
Fees are paid in two parts. Part A is due when you submit and covers processing. It is not refunded if the application is refused, rejected or withdrawn. Part B is due only when the council decides to grant.
Additional HMO licence
Part A £903, Part B £604. Total £1,507 per property.
Selective licence
Part A £529, Part B £356. Total £885 per property.
Mandatory HMO licence
Charged by number of units of accommodation. £1,711 total for three, rising to £2,117 for ten. Above ten units a pro rata amount is added per extra unit.
Correct as at 10 August 2026. Check the current figures on Wandsworth Council’s fees page before you budget, as they change.
These are the council’s fees and are payable by you. They are separate from anything we charge.
Discounts most landlords miss
Wandsworth offers several reductions and does not apply them unless the evidence is in the application:
- Early bird, 30 per cent off Part A, selective licensing only
- Multi dwelling, where properties share an owner, are managed together, are in the same block and are applied for at the same time
- EPC rating C, or a larger reduction at B or above
- Provision to the social rented sector
- Gold Standard, 40 per cent off Part B
- Accredited landlord or agent
The early bird discount for selective licensing designation 2 (East Putney, West Putney and Northcote) covered applications made from 1 April 2026 to 1 October 2026. The equivalent discount for additional licensing and selective designation 1 closed on 31 December 2025.
No discount applies at all if the council has already had to ask you twice for supporting documents, or has served you a warning letter for failing to licence. Getting the application right first time is worth money here, not just time.
Two Wandsworth specifics worth knowing
Your licence may only run for one year, not five.
A Wandsworth licence normally runs five years. But the council will usually grant a reduced term of around one year where planning permission is required for the HMO use, or where planning permission has previously been refused. The short licence is deliberate: it gives you a window to sort the planning position out. If you are not watching for it, you will assume you have five years and find out otherwise.
The planning threshold is seven, not six.
In Wandsworth you need planning permission to let a property as an HMO to seven or more people. Having a licence is not the same as having planning permission, and the council says so plainly. The two run on separate tracks and one does not imply the other.
If the property is about to stop being licensable
If you rent out a property that needs a licence but you intend to change it so that it no longer does, you may be able to apply for a temporary exemption notice. It lasts three months, is not normally renewable, and a maximum of two can be issued. You have to show the council evidence of what you are actually doing to take the property out of scope.
How we work in Wandsworth
We manage HMOs in Wandsworth and the surrounding area, including Putney, Tooting, Balham and Clapham. It is the only thing we do.
Full management is 15% of gross collected rent, and 13% where you have three or more properties with us. We are not currently VAT registered, so there is no VAT to add. Contractor invoices are passed through at cost.
We also handle licence applications on their own, without management, if that is all you need.
Every engagement starts with a free compliance audit. We visit, spend an hour going through the property, and send you a written note of what we find. No charge and no obligation. If the note says you do not need us, you keep the note.
Full detail on how our management works · Book a free compliance audit
Wandsworth HMO questions
Do I need an HMO licence in Wandsworth?
Almost certainly, if you let to three or more people from more than one household. Since 1 July 2025 the additional licensing scheme has applied borough wide, so small HMOs of three or four sharers now need a licence where previously they did not.
Which Wandsworth wards need a selective licence?
Furzedown, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway and South Balham since July 2025, plus East Putney, West Putney and Northcote since April 2026.
How much is an HMO licence in Wandsworth?
An additional HMO licence is £1,507 per property and a selective licence is £885 per property, both paid in two parts. Mandatory HMO fees start at £1,711 and rise with the number of units. Correct as at 10 August 2026.
How long does a Wandsworth licence last?
Usually five years, but the council typically grants around one year where planning permission is needed for the HMO use or has previously been refused.
Can I still get the early bird discount?
For selective licensing designation 2, covering East Putney, West Putney and Northcote, the early bird window runs to 1 October 2026. The equivalent discount for the other schemes closed on 31 December 2025.
Talk to us
No obligation, and we will tell you honestly if you do not need us.
Telephone: 020 3026 7320
Email: info@reaysmithproperty.co.uk
Licensing information on this page reflects Wandsworth Council’s published guidance as at 10 August 2026 and is general information, not advice on your specific property. Check the council’s own pages for the current position.