Landlords are facing a fresh round of licensing costs from July, with Westminster confirming a £1,540 additional HMO fee from 31 August, Enfield renewing selective licensing at £750 per property from 1 September, and Cornwall consulting on mandatory HMO charges rising as high as £2,167.
The newly updated NRLA licensing round-up pulls together scheme renewals, new launch dates and fee consultations that will hit landlords over the coming weeks. For many owners, the immediate issue is not just the size of the charge but the concentration of new deadlines across London and other council areas before autumn.
For landlords, the timing matters because licensing costs are arriving alongside tighter enforcement, higher compliance expectations and more local variation in how councils are regulating private rented homes. Owners with HMOs or stock in selective licensing areas may need to budget now, check expiry dates and decide quickly whether any early-bird discounts are worth taking.
Westminster and Enfield fees move first
Westminster City Council’s renewed borough-wide additional licensing scheme will run from 31 August 2026 to 30 August 2031. The fee is set at £1,540, although accredited landlords can access discounts. Existing additional HMO licences remain valid until their own expiry dates, and renewal applications can be submitted up to three months before expiry.
Enfield is also renewing its selective licensing scheme from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2031, with a £750 fee per property. The borough has split the scheme into two designations, covering areas including Bowes, Brimsdown, Edmonton Green, Ponders End, New Southgate and Palmers Green.
Landlords with smaller shared homes in central London were already put on notice when Landlord Knowledge reported Westminster’s 31 August licensing deadline in June. The latest NRLA update sharpens that picture by confirming the fee level and showing how quickly other councils are following with their own schemes.
Cornwall and Durham add fresh cost pressure
Cornwall Council is consulting on higher mandatory HMO licence fees, arguing the new structure better reflects the work involved in processing and monitoring applications. The proposed charge for a new licence would rise to £1,957 for five-room HMOs, £2,062 for six to eight rooms and £2,167 for properties with nine rooms or more.
Durham County Council is consulting on a new selective licensing scheme that would cover 87 postcodes and about 38 percent of the private rented sector in the local authority area. The proposed fee is £550 if landlords apply within the first six months, rising to £700 after that early-bird window.
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s recent coverage of Hertsmere’s HMO waste enforcement action in Potters Bar, which showed councils are not just widening regulatory reach but using sharper compliance tools once schemes are in place. The latest fee update suggests landlords should treat licensing as a recurring operating cost rather than a one-off admin task.
More boroughs are widening licensing coverage
The NRLA update also flags new or renewed schemes in Hillingdon, Croydon, Harrow and Barnet. In Croydon, an additional licence will cost £1,250 and a selective licence £800 when the schemes start on 1 September. Hillingdon’s new additional licensing fee is £1,401 per property from 24 August.
That creates a mixed picture for landlords. Some councils are relying on borough-wide schemes, while others are targeting named wards or postcodes. Either way, the practical burden falls on landlords to identify whether a property is caught, factor the fee into cash flow, and avoid slipping into an unlicensed position through missed renewals or misunderstood boundaries.
What this means for landlords
- If you own HMOs or London rentals: check whether Westminster, Enfield, Hillingdon, Croydon or Harrow deadlines affect any property before the end of summer.
- Watch for: consultation end dates in Durham and Cornwall, where fees and scheme coverage could still change before launch.
- Bottom line: licensing costs are rising in several areas at once, so landlords need to treat local scheme checks as part of routine portfolio management.
Editor’s view
Licensing is becoming less predictable for landlords, not more. The councils moving first are showing how quickly local costs can stack up when renewals, new schemes and enforcement all land in the same quarter.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 1 July 2026
Sources: NRLA licensing update, Westminster City Council, Enfield Council, Cornwall Council, Durham County Council
Related reading: Westminster renews smaller HMO licensing with 31 August deadline
