HMO licence plans for Hackney landlords, ready for the new schemes
Hackney's new licensing schemes came into force on 1 May 2026, and the council's application page tells landlords to send floor plans of the entire property if they want to avoid processing delays. We draw scaled plans and a room-by-room schedule for the HMO licences, for a fixed £495.
Fixed fee from £495 · all prices
Prefer to talk it through?
What Hackney now licenses
The council's announcement of 26 November 2025 says every HMO in Hackney made up of three or more people from two or more households needs a licence. That goes beyond the national rule, which starts at five people. It also says a selective licensing scheme covers almost all private rented homes in 17 of the 21 wards, about 76% of the borough's privately rented homes, and that the remaining four wards are covered by additional licensing.
For a landlord letting a three-bed house in Hackney room by room, the practical result is a licence whichever ward it sits in. What changes is the fee and the checks, and for an HMO those checks start with the layout.
HMO Licence Plans in Hackney
from £495
Every price is the full fixed fee you pay. No VAT is charged. Council application fees are paid to the council separately.
What you get
- Scaled plans of the entire property, every floor
- A schedule of every bedroom's area against the national minimum sizes
- Shared kitchens, bathrooms and WCs counted against tenant numbers
- Escape routes, stairs and doors drawn clearly
- A PDF pack to upload with the online application
- A short note of rooms close to a minimum
- Find your licence type
Three or more sharers in two or more households needs an HMO licence.
- Measure the property
A measured survey gives room areas you can defend.
- Draw the entire property
Every floor, as the council's application page asks.
- Schedule the rooms
Each bedroom area set against its minimum.
- Apply online
Upload the plans with Part A and the safety certificates.
Floor plans are on the council's list
The council's apply for a property licence page splits what you need into what it must have and what helps. Under the helpful list it names floor plans of the entire property, electrical and fire safety reports, the tenancy agreement and your accreditation certificate, and it says these help avoid delays.
That wording is worth reading closely. The page lists plans as help, not as a required document, but a licence application with a layout the officer can check is one that does not stall while they ask for it. A drawn plan with a room schedule answers the first questions before they are asked.
Whatever the local scheme, the national conditions say a bedroom for one person over 10 must be at least 6.51 square metres and a room below 4.64 square metres cannot be used for sleeping.
The fees, and the discounts that depend on certificates
Hackney lists a selective licence at £925 in total and an additional or mandatory HMO licence at £1,400, paid in two parts: Part A of £840 when you apply and Part B of £560 once the application is assessed and approved. If the application is rejected or withdrawn, Part A is not refunded.
The page lists £100 off Part B for an energy performance certificate of B or above, £50 off for a C, £100 off Part B for an accredited landlord, and £100 off Part A for multi-dwelling properties. These discounts depend on documents, so gather the EPC and accreditation certificate at the same time as the plans. The council's fees are paid to the council and are separate from ours.
Room sizes still decide the layout
Whatever the local scheme, the national conditions say a bedroom for one person over 10 must be at least 6.51 square metres and a room below 4.64 square metres cannot be used for sleeping.
Our schedule gives the measured area of each bedroom and what it is intended for, so a shortfall is found before the licence application, not at the inspection.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| three or more people from two or more households | Hackney Council news, 26 Nov 2025: all HMOs of three or more people from two or more households will need a licence | news.hackney.gov.uk |
| 17 of 21 wards, 76% of private rented homes | Hackney Council news, 26 Nov 2025: selective licensing covers almost all private rented homes in 17 of the 21 wards (76% of privately rented homes); the remaining four wards are covered by additional licensing | news.hackney.gov.uk |
| floor plans of the entire property | Hackney Council, Apply for a property licence: documents that help avoid delays include floor plans of the entire property | www.hackney.gov.uk |
| £925 and £1400 | Hackney Council, Apply for a property licence: selective £925 (Part A £555, Part B £370); additional HMO and mandatory HMO £1,400 (Part A £840, Part B £560) | www.hackney.gov.uk |
| Part A not refunded | Hackney Council, Apply for a property licence: if we reject your application or you withdraw it, we will not refund this first payment (Part A) | www.hackney.gov.uk |
| £100 off Part B for EPC B or above | Hackney Council, Apply for a property licence: EPC B or above £100 off Part B; EPC C £50 off Part B; accredited landlord £100 off Part B; multi-dwelling £100 off Part A | www.hackney.gov.uk |
| from 1 May 2026 | Hackney Council, Apply for a property licence: we will start processing selective and additional HMO applications from 1 May 2026 | www.hackney.gov.uk |
| 6.51 square metres | Licensing and Management of HMOs (Mandatory Conditions of Licences) (England) Regulations 2018, new Sch 4 para 1A(2)(a): one person aged over 10 years (source wording: "not less than 6.51 square metres") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 4.64 square metres | Same regulations, para 1A(2)(d): a room under this size may not be used for sleeping (source wording: "less than 4.64 square metres") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
Questions people ask
Does a three-person house share in Hackney need a licence?
What does an HMO licence cost in Hackney?
Does the council require floor plans?
Is the council fee included in your price?
Photographs: Chris Whippet (CC BY-SA 2.0); Tim Green from Bradford (CC BY 2.0).
.jpg){kind=link}