HMO licence plans for Waltham Forest landlords, with the council's fees in plain sight
Waltham Forest runs an additional HMO licensing scheme on top of the national mandatory one. Which fee you pay depends on the licence and on your EPC. We draw the scaled plans and room schedule that sit behind an HMO application, for a fixed £495.
Fixed fee from £495 · all prices
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Which scheme your house sits in
On its additional HMO licensing page the council says it launched the scheme in April 2020 and that a further scheme was approved and started in April 2025, expiring on 31 May 2030. It covers properties occupied by three or more people outside mandatory HMO licensing.
That means a four-person shared house in Leyton is licensable even though it falls under the national five-person threshold. For five or more people in more than one household, the national mandatory licence applies instead. Either way the application is judged on the layout of the house, which is what a scaled plan and room schedule show.
HMO Licence Plans in Waltham Forest
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 every floor with rooms labelled by use
- A schedule of bedroom areas against the national minimum room sizes
- Shared kitchens, bathrooms and WCs counted against tenant numbers
- Escape routes and door positions drawn clearly for the council's inspection
- A PDF pack ready for the application
- A short note of rooms that are close to a minimum
- Pick the licence
Additional for three or four sharers, mandatory for five or more.
- Measure the house
A measured survey gives areas the council can check.
- Draw and schedule
Every floor to scale with a bedroom-by-bedroom table.
- Fix what fails
A short room is handled before Part A is paid.
- Apply and be inspected
Part A goes in with the form, Part B once a licence is to be granted.
What the licences cost, part by part
The council's fees page puts the additional HMO licence at £1,200, split £600 for Part A and £600 for Part B. A mandatory licence for up to eight units is £1,650. A selective licence is £895.
Part A is paid when you apply and covers processing and deciding the application. Part B is paid once a licence is granted. If the application is wrong and has to start again, Part A has already gone, which is a plain argument for getting the plans right the first time.
Section 249A sets the ceiling at £40,000 for a single offence, and the amount within that is for the council.
How an EPC changes the bill
Waltham Forest ties part of the discount to energy performance. The fees page lists the additional HMO licence at £800 where the property has an EPC rating of A or B, and £1,105 for a rating of C, against the full £1,200. A multi-property discount brings it to £1,075.
So for a landlord weighing up a small upgrade, an A or B certificate is worth £400 off the additional licence on the council's published figures. The plans do not change the EPC, but the certificate is worth checking before you decide which fee column applies to you.
Why the room schedule matters at inspection
The plans earn their place against the national conditions for room sizes: 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. A council inspector may measure the rooms; our schedule shows the same figures first.
A long, narrow room is easy to over-estimate by eye. The schedule gives the measured area, not the estate agent's description.
The cost of not licensing
Running a licensable HMO without a licence is an offence under the Housing Act 2004, and a council may impose a civil penalty instead of prosecuting. Section 249A sets the ceiling at £40,000 for a single offence, and the amount within that is for the council.
Our fixed fee for the plans is a small part of that exposure, and the council's licence fee is separate and is paid to the council.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| April 2025 to 31 May 2030 | Waltham Forest Council, Additional HMO licensing: (source wording: "We launched this scheme in April 2020"; "A further scheme was approved and started in April 2025 and expires on 31 May 2030") | www.walthamforest.gov.uk |
| three or more people outside mandatory HMO licensing | Waltham Forest Council, Additional HMO licensing: (source wording: "occupied by three or more people outside of mandatory HMO licensing") | www.walthamforest.gov.uk |
| £1200 | Waltham Forest Council, Property licence fees: additional HMO full licence fee £1,200 (Part A £600, Part B £600) | www.walthamforest.gov.uk |
| £895 | Waltham Forest Council, Property licence fees: selective licence full licence fee £895 (Part A £300, Part B £595) | www.walthamforest.gov.uk |
| £1650 | Waltham Forest Council, Property licence fees: mandatory HMO up to 8 units full licence fee £1,650 (Part A £825, Part B £825) | www.walthamforest.gov.uk |
| £800 with EPC A or B | Waltham Forest Council, Property licence fees: additional HMO discounted fee £800 with EPC A or B, £1,105 with EPC C, £1,075 multi-property discount | www.walthamforest.gov.uk |
| Part A on application; Part B on grant | Waltham Forest Council, Property licence fees: Part A is paid when you apply and covers processing and deciding the application; Part B is paid once a licence is granted | www.walthamforest.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 |
| £40,000 | Housing Act 2004 s.249A(4): the amount of a financial penalty for a relevant housing offence, including s.72 (licensing of HMOs) (source wording: "must not be more than £40,000") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
Questions people ask
Does my four-person shared house in Waltham Forest need a licence?
What is the council's fee for an additional HMO licence?
Is the council's fee included in your price?
Do you apply to the council for me?
Photographs: Tim Green from Bradford (CC BY 2.0).
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