Property licensing

Apply for a property licence

New selective licensing designation

From 7 September 2026, landlords and managing agents can apply for a selective property licence for Islington's new selective licensing designation.

This applies to properties for private rent in:

• Barnsbury
• Caledonian
• Highbury
• Junction
• Laycock
• Mildmay
• Tufnell Park

This scheme and the licenses we issue will start on 23 November 2026 at midnight (12am).

Read the signed document for the new designation.

Apply for other property licences

If you need a selective property licence for Finsbury Park, Mildmay and Tollington, or another type of property licence, you can apply now.

Apply for a property licence

If your property is not licensed

It is a criminal offence for landlords and managing agents to let out a property that is not properly licensed.

If you commit an offence, we may either:

• start criminal prosecution proceedings
• consider a fine of up to £40,000 for each offence against each person responsible for letting an unlicensed property for private renting

We may also apply for a Rent Repayment Order. This means the landlord has to pay back up to 12 months rental income from the property.

You can find out more in our Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Fixed Penalty Charging policy.

Properties that we license

We run 3 property licensing schemes. You must apply for a property licence if your property meets one of these descriptions.

Mandatory licensing

This includes:

• all houses or flats where there are 5 or more unrelated people - in 2 or more households - who share facilities such as a kitchen, bathroom or toilet
• all buildings occupied by 5 or more unrelated people - in 2 or more households - made up of bedsits or flats that are not fully self-contained (for example, occupiers need to leave their bedsit or flat to use a bathroom or kitchen

Search our property licence register

Additional licensing

This includes:

• all houses or flats where there are 3 or 4 unrelated people - in 2 or more households - who share facilities such as a kitchen, bathroom or toilet
• all buildings occupied by 3 or 4 unrelated people - in 2 or more households - made up of bedsits or flats that are not fully self-contained (for example, occupiers need to leave their bedsit or flat to use a bathroom or kitchen
• any building that has been converted into self-contained flats and where the standard of conversion does not meet the Building Regulations 1991 and all of the flats are tenanted and under one single ownership (known as S257 HMOs)
• all flats let to 3 or 4 unrelated persons - in 2 or more households - in a purpose-built block of flats and not covered by the mandatory licensing scheme

Selective licensing

Current selective licensing scheme

This includes all accommodation for private rent occupied by either 1 or 2 people - related or unrelated - or by a single family or household in these wards:

• Finsbury Park
• Hillrise
• Tollington 

New selective licensing scheme 

The scheme and the licences we issue will start on 23 November 2026 at midnight (12am).

Applications open on 7 September 2026 so landlords and managing agents can apply before the start of the scheme.

This includes all accommodation for private rent occupied by either 1 or 2 people - related or unrelated - or by a single family or household in these wards:

• Barnsbury
• Caledonian 
• Highbury
• Junction
• Laycock
• Mildmay
• Tufnell Park

Read the signed document for the new designation. 

Contact 

Email: property.licensing@islington.gov.uk

See information about other types of licenses.

Why we license properties

Property licensing helps us to regulate the condition and management of private rented properties in the borough. We license properties to:

• improve property standards and management
• help address anti-social behaviour (ASB) issues
• protect residents from rogue landlords