Residential property licensing for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)

Find out how we decide to grant an HMO licence.

Rent and service charge balances

If you've made a payment since Friday 12 December it may not show up correctly on your account on the Portal or the balance check by text.

Please bear with us while we fix this technical issue, and contact us by email if you need an accurate statement of your account:

From 1 October 2018, all HMOs with five or more occupants must have a licence.

How we decide to grant an HMO licence

When assessing if we will grant a licence to an HMO we look at:

Whether the property complies with Lewisham's licensing standards
The suitability of the landlord or the managing agent to manage the HMO (called the ‘fit and proper test’)
The general suitability of managing arrangements.

4th Floor, LAURENCE HOUSE 1 CATFORD ROAD CATFORD SE6 4RU

Telephone:

Email:

Published on: 09/12/2025