Key Points
- Ealing Council has opened a public consultation on renewing its additional Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing scheme, running from Wednesday 15 July to Thursday 24 September 2026.
- The current borough-wide additional HMO licensing scheme, which covers properties occupied by three or four people from more than one household, is due to expire on 31 March 2027.
- The council is proposing to introduce a replacement five-year borough-wide additional licensing scheme from April 2027, potentially extending regulation to 2032.
- Evidence cited by the council includes 4,890 housing hazards identified across more than 900 HMO inspections in the past two years, with around two-thirds of inspected properties recording hazards.
- Between April 2021 and April 2026, the council recorded 3,649 antisocial behaviour incidents linked to known HMO properties.
- Since April 2025, 28 civil penalty notices have been issued for unlicensed HMOs and 56 previously unlicensed properties have been brought into the licensing system.
- The proposed scheme would also include section 257 HMOs – buildings converted into self-contained flats where the conversion did not comply with building regulations and less than two-thirds of flats are owner-occupied.
- Discounts of £75 for landlords in accreditation schemes and £50 for properties with an EPC rating of band C or above are among the proposed fee incentives.
- The consultation invites responses from tenants, landlords, managing agents, residents, business owners, community organisations and others with an interest in the area.
- If approved by the council’s cabinet following the consultation, the new licensing scheme would come into force in or around April 2027.
Ealing (West London News) August 1, 2026 – Ealing Council has launched a formal consultation on plans to renew its additional HMO licensing scheme across the borough, seeking views from residents, landlords, tenants and other stakeholders before deciding whether to extend regulation of smaller shared homes for a further five years.
The consultation, which opened on Wednesday 15 July and will run until Thursday 24 September 2026, centres on proposals to introduce a replacement borough-wide additional licensing scheme to take effect from April 2027, when the current scheme expires on 31 March 2027. Under the proposals, the new scheme would continue to cover HMOs occupied by three or four people from more than one household who share amenities such as a kitchen or bathroom, and would also bring section 257 HMOs – certain converted blocks of flats – within the licensing regime.
Councillor Louise Brett, Ealing Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for safe and genuinely affordable homes, said:
“We know that many people rely on shared housing as an affordable place to live. But some rented HMOs fall below the standards people should expect.
Our inspections continue to find serious hazards, unsafe conditions, and poor management in too many shared homes. This consultation is an opportunity for everyone with an interest in private renting to help shape how we keep improving standards across the borough in the years ahead.”
Why is Ealing Council consulting on HMO licensing now?
The council is required to carry out a public consultation before deciding whether to renew an additional HMO licensing scheme under Part II of the Housing Act 2004, which allows local authorities to designate areas where smaller HMOs must be licensed if a significant proportion are poorly managed and causing problems for occupiers or the public. The current borough-wide additional HMO licensing scheme was introduced on 1 April 2022 for a five-year period and is due to end on 31 March 2027.
In its consultation document, the council states that licensing provides clear guidance for landlords on expected standards for property conditions and management, and enables proactive inspections, enforcement against rogue operators, and support for responsible landlords. The council argues that continuing licensing for all HMOs will help build on the success of the current scheme in addressing poor housing conditions, poor management, and a range of other issues associated with HMOs.
Ealing is among several councils, including Greenwich and Hertsmere, currently consulting on expanded or renewed landlord licensing and HMO standards.
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What evidence does Ealing Council cite to support renewing HMO licensing?
Ealing Council’s consultation document sets out a range of evidence gathered during the operation of the current licensing scheme, including inspection data, hazard statistics, antisocial behaviour records and enforcement activity.
According to the council, HMO inspectors carried out proactive licence inspections at 903 known HMO dwellings across the borough in the last two years, identifying 4,890 hazards at 595 dwellings – meaning 66% of inspections recorded hazards, a rate of 542 hazards per 100 HMOs inspected. The inspection failure rate for additional HMOs was 72.2%, compared with 64.7% for mandatory HMOs.
The council also reports that between April 2021 and April 2026, there were 3,649 antisocial behaviour incidents linked to known HMO properties, and 1,648 service requests made at known HMO dwellings relating to disrepair and poor property conditions. In the 18 months to mid-2026, the council refused 81 HMO licences where properties were not considered reasonably suitable or because management arrangements fell short of required standards, and a further 277 applications were withdrawn and 37 revoked.
Since April 2025, the council’s unlicensed property team has issued 28 civil penalty notices for unlicensed HMOs and brought 56 previously unlicensed properties into the licensing system. The council also highlights seven HMO fires in the borough between February 2025 and May 2026, five of which are suspected to have been started intentionally by occupants, prompting research in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine into the mental health impacts of HMO living conditions.
