Islington Selective Licensing: What Landlords Need to Know
Islington selective licensing is expanding from three wards to ten. Seven more wards are licensable from 23 November 2026, and applications are already open. If you are based outside the UK, you cannot apply at all until a UK managing agent is in place.
Scheme facts last reviewed
Free PDF. Straight to your inbox. Unsubscribe any time.
If you are based outside the UK, read this before you apply
Islington will only consider an application from a non-UK resident, or a company not based in the UK, if there is a managing agent based in the UK who signs a declaration agreeing to the conditions and obligations of the licence. This is not an inference or a piece of casework experience. It is published on the council's own application page. If you are overseas and you have not yet appointed a UK managing agent, you do not currently have an application Islington will consider, whichever of its three licensing schemes your property falls into.
The agent signs up to the conditions and obligations of the licence. That is not the same as taking on your exposure. The licence holder remains the person licensed under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004, and if the agent's records are thin, the evidence gap is yours. You can delegate the work. You cannot delegate the liability.
Two national obligations apply on top of licensing. Under HMRC's Non-resident Landlords Scheme, a UK letting agent must deduct basic rate tax from your rental income and pay it to HMRC quarterly, regardless of the amount of rent collected. And if the property is held by an entity governed by law outside the UK, that entity must be registered on Companies House's Register of Overseas Entities, with its beneficial owners, and must file an update statement every year.
Three licensing schemes, one property, one right answer
Islington runs three separate licensing schemes. A property needs one licence, but it must be the right one, and the answer is driven by who is living there, not by what you call the property. Two of the three apply across the entire borough, which is why "my ward is not in the selective scheme" is not the reassurance landlords take it to be.
- 2026 designation
- Barnsbury, Caledonian, Highbury, Junction, Laycock, Mildmay and Tufnell Park: licensable from 23 November 2026. Applications open from 7 September 2026.
- 2024 designation
- Finsbury Park, Hillrise and Tollington: already live since 20 May 2024.
- HMO licensing
- Mandatory and additional HMO licensing apply borough wide, in every ward, regardless of the selective designations.
- Fee
- Selective licence fee: £850 for the whole property, non-refundable once submitted.
Sources: Islington Council, Property Licensing pages; London Borough of Islington selective licensing designation notices 2024 and 2026; statutory public notice, Islington Additional Licensing Scheme for HMOs. Verify scheme facts against Islington Council on the go-live date.
A licence and a compliance record are not the same thing.
Islington does not only check whether you hold a licence. Its conditions require a documented inspection at least every six months, a gas safety certificate sent to the council every year without being asked, a timed anti-social behaviour procedure, and records of who is actually receiving the rent.
The question a regulator asks is never "did you comply?" It is "can you prove you complied, at any point, for the five-year life of the licence?" Islington can ask the licence holder or the named agent for evidence at any point: safety certificates, tenancy agreements, references, inspection records, rent records, floor plans, anti-social behaviour files.
In regulated environments, compliance is not what you do. It is what you can prove.
Operating a property that requires a selective licence without one, and breaching licence conditions, are offences under the Housing Act 2004. Islington can impose a civil penalty of up to £40,000, and a Rent Repayment Order can force you to hand back up to 24 months' rent. A landlord has a complete defence to the licensing offence from the date a valid application is made. Applying stops the clock. Our free guide covers the conditions Islington enforces, the ones landlords most often miss, and exactly what evidence the council expects to see.
Islington Landlord Licence Compliance Guide 2026
Selective licensing is expanding from three wards to ten. If you are based outside the UK, you cannot apply at all until a UK managing agent is in place.
%20rotate(-13.28)'/%3e%3ccircle%20class='cls-1'%20cx='37.73'%20cy='34.54'%20r='8.4'%20transform='translate(-5.05%206.49)%20rotate(-9.22)'/%3e%3ccircle%20class='cls-1'%20cx='57.48'%20cy='21.33'%20r='6.9'/%3e%3cpath%20class='cls-1'%20d='M40.56,12.69c2.96,0,5.36-2.4,5.36-5.36s-2.4-5.36-5.36-5.36-5.36,2.4-5.36,5.36,2.4,5.36,5.36,5.36Z'/%3e%3crect%20class='cls-1'%20x='27.8'%20y='116.69'%20width='12.86'%20height='12.86'/%3e%3crect%20class='cls-1'%20x='43.7'%20y='116.69'%20width='12.86'%20height='12.86'/%3e%3crect%20class='cls-1'%20x='27.8'%20y='132.57'%20width='12.86'%20height='12.86'/%3e%3crect%20class='cls-1'%20x='43.7'%20y='132.57'%20width='12.86'%20height='12.86'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e)
- Which of Islington's three licensing schemes applies to your property, and why
- What overseas landlords must put in place before Islington will even consider an application
- The conditions landlords most commonly miss, including the annual gas submission
- A ten-question stress test to see where you may be exposed
The expertise behind the evidence, not just a place to store it.
We chase the renewal before it lapses
Certificates, inspections and reference checks tracked and actioned ahead of time, so a deadline never slips past you. Not a reminder you have to act on yourself.
A complete file, ready when Islington Council asks
A timestamped record for every obligation on every property. Software can store documents. It cannot tell you what is missing, or what Islington Council will actually want to see. We do that.
A named expert who answers for it
A real compliance function that stands behind your record, registered with a Property Redress Scheme and insured. Not a portal, and not a favour from a friend.
When Islington Council asks for a property's compliance history, you forward one file and get on with your day.
Why we built Compliance Shield.
“Compliance in a regulated sector is not about good intentions. It is about being able to prove what you did, on the day someone asks. We built Compliance Shield to give landlords that certainty.”
Islington landlord licensing, answered
Seven new wards from 23 November 2026. Which licence does your property need?
Start with the free guide. It takes ten minutes and shows you exactly where you may be exposed.
Not sure which of the three licences applies, or whether you need a UK agent in place before you can apply? Speak to our team about managing your compliance from £80 per month per property.