Rented property licensing

Types of licensing application

There are four types of application for privately rented property licences.

New application

You should make a new application if:

• This is the first time you have applied for a property licence
• You want to change the licence holder
• You have been refused a licence
• Your licence has been taken away from you
• Your licence has expired.

Renewals

A Renewal Licence Application can only be made:

• When the Property licence is ‘Issued’,
• The original applicant is the current licence holder
• The original applicant has access to the My Newham account that made the application
• The applicant holds the current issued licence reference number.

If you were not the original applicant you will need to make a new application for your property once the current licence expires.

There are three renewal types "Simple Renewal, Simple Renewal with changes or Full Renewal”.

To use the original details entered of your previous application as you have no changes to make select "Simple Renewal".

To edit some of these application details select "Simple Renewal with changes".  Please note you will not be able to change the Licence type, Applicant or Proposed Licence Holder details using this renewal type. If these have changed at all, please select ‘Full Renewal’

If the Licence type has changed, or you wish to fill in a new blank application for a property with an existing Licence please select "Full Renewal".

You should also tell us if the property is no longer licensable or in your control. Please email propertylicensing@newham.gov.uk

Variation

You (the licence holder) should make this type of application if you have a licence and:

• We have made a change
• You have made a change
• There is a change of address or details of any interested party such as the manager, owner, mortgagor, freeholder, leaseholder
• There is a change of manager (unless they are also the licence holder)
• There is a change to the maximum number of people living in a property and/or number of households.

Revocation

You (the licence holder) should make this type of application when:

• There is a new proposed licence
• The property has been sold
• The property no longer needs to be licensed.

You currently cannot make a variation or revocation online. To tell us about a change email propertylicensing@newham.gov.uk. Make sure you include the full address of the property.

You must have a licence for every home you rent out privately in Newham. If you don't, you could face a financial penalty notice of up to £30,000 or an unlimited fine from the court.

Before you apply

Check which type of licence you should apply for.. There are several types of property licence: mandatory, selective and additional.

You must also make sure you know which type of application you should make.

There are four types of application: new, renewal, variation and revocation.

If your property does not have a licence and you are taking steps which mean it will not need a licence, you can apply for a temporary exemption.

Who can apply

Anyone can apply for a property licence, however they must be the most appropriate person to do so. Normally this will be the owner or a manager employed by the owner. The proposed licence holder needs to be the most appropriate person, namely the landlord, person in receipt of rent or in control of the property. If it is a limited company, please give the full company name and address of a UK registered office and listed director who will be the proposed licence holder.

At the very least, the council expects the licence holder to have the power to:

• let and terminate the tenancies;
• access all parts of the premises to the same extent as the owner.

You must apply for one licence per property. You cannot transfer a licence to another person.

Please visit our FAQs page for common questions and answers relating to Licence Holders queries.

When you apply

You will need to have various information relating to the property to hand before completing the application form including the following:

For further details on what happens once you have made a successful application please visit our ‘What happens next’ section.

To apply for a property licence please visit Selective Licensing – Rented property licensing – Newham Council or Additional and Mandatory HMO Licensing – Rented property licensing – Newham Council for further guidance.