Local HMO compliance enquiry route
HMO Certificate Enquiries in Greenwich
Prepare the separate safety records needed for a Greenwich HMO licence application, renewal, managed-property review or planned shared letting. Royal Greenwich currently operates mandatory licensing for qualifying larger HMOs and borough-wide additional licensing for smaller HMOs. Planning remains separate: the borough's Article 4 direction removes the usual permitted development route for changing a C3 home to a C4 small HMO. Leasehold flats need particular care because the occupiers, landlord or agent may control the dwelling while a freeholder or Right to Manage company controls the common parts. Send the full address, occupation, household relationships, layout, council wording, existing reports, planning history, responsible parties, access arrangements and deadline so every inspection is assigned to the correct area and system.
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Identify the dwelling, common parts and responsible parties
The licence route depends on occupation and building facts, while the inspection scope depends on who controls each room, installation and shared area. Confirm both before requesting certificates.
Occupiers and households
List every current or proposed occupier, explain the household relationships and identify the shared kitchen, bathroom, WC or other amenities. State whether the property reaches the five-person mandatory threshold or falls within the smaller-HMO route.
Property and tenancy arrangement
Describe a shared house, self-contained flat, maisonette, bedsit arrangement or converted building. Record joint or separate agreements, the person receiving rent, the appointed manager and whether any part is retained by a freeholder.
Flat and common-parts responsibility
For a leasehold HMO, distinguish the dwelling from communal corridors, stairs, entrance doors, cupboards, alarm equipment and other shared systems. Name the freeholder, managing agent or Right to Manage company responsible for common-area access.
Plan, planning and deadline
Provide the application floor plan, current room uses and measurements, plus any planning decision or lawful-use evidence. Attach the council request and available safety reports, then identify the date and authorised key-holder for every included area.
Greenwich HMO access varies from riverside blocks to converted houses
Greenwich, Woolwich, Deptford, Charlton and the Greenwich Peninsula include historic terraces, flats over shops, mansion blocks, new apartment developments and mixed-use riverside buildings. A concierge, loading bay, service lift or managing-agent permit may be needed before an engineer can reach the flat or communal equipment. Give the building name, unit number and exact entrance, then identify every gas meter, boiler, consumer unit, alarm panel and common area in scope. Do not assume that access to the dwelling provides access to a freeholder's locked cupboards or plant spaces.
Plumstead, Abbey Wood, Thamesmead, Eltham, Kidbrooke and the borough boundaries include Victorian and Edwardian houses, inter-war properties, maisonettes, estates, loft rooms and later extensions. The locality name may overlap with a neighbouring borough or postal district, so send the complete postcode. Record controlled parking, estate gates, side or rear access, loft or basement rooms, converted garages and separate utility locations. Where rooms or facilities have moved, make sure the current layout matches the plan and safety records before booking.
Build the Greenwich HMO file from distinct safety records
Royal Greenwich publishes separate licensing standards, licence conditions and safety guidance. These do not create one all-purpose HMO certificate. A licence applies to the qualifying property, the plan describes the layout, and each inspection report addresses a particular installation, appliance group or fire-safety system.
Annual gas safety evidence
Royal Greenwich says a property with gas needs an annual check by a Gas Safe registered engineer and a Gas Safety Certificate. List the gas supply, meters, appliances, boilers and flues, and distinguish any separate communal or commercial installation.
EICR and portable appliances
The council requires evidence that the electrical installation and supplied electrical appliances are safe. Provide the complete EICR, consumer-unit locations, landlord appliance inventory and evidence for completed remedial work or relevant appliance testing.
Fire detection and emergency lighting
The required fire-detection arrangement depends on the nature of the HMO. Describe smoke and heat detectors, sounders, call points, control panel, fire doors, escape route and emergency lighting, including any common-area equipment outside the flat.
Plan, standards and licence conditions
Use the council's supporting information to prepare the HMO plan, then compare the room sizes, amenity provision, licence conditions and current use. A plan or licensing standard is guidance for the property and does not certify an installed system.
Which Royal Greenwich licensing, standards and safety guidance apply?
Royal Greenwich currently operates borough-wide mandatory licensing for qualifying larger HMOs and additional licensing for smaller HMOs. Its guidance describes mandatory HMOs as properties occupied by at least five people forming more than one household who share an amenity and use the property as their main or only home. Additional licensing mainly covers qualifying properties with at least three occupiers forming more than one household. Leasehold flats can involve separate common-parts responsibility for a freeholder or Right to Manage company, so the building arrangement needs to be documented.
The council's safety guidance requires annual gas safety evidence where gas is present, an EICR for the fixed installation and proof that supplied electrical appliances are safe. Fire detection, fire doors, escape arrangements and emergency lighting depend on the property. Separately, Royal Greenwich's borough-wide Article 4 direction removes the usual C3-to-C4 permitted development route. London Landlord Certifications can route requested safety-record enquiries; it does not decide licensing, planning, building-control approval or council acceptance.
Coordinate Greenwich licensing, planning and inspection access
1. Confirm mandatory or additional licensing
Check the number of occupiers, household relationships, shared amenities, main-residence use, building type and exemptions. Qualifying five-plus-person HMOs use mandatory licensing; smaller qualifying HMOs use the borough-wide additional route.
2. Review planning and building changes separately
Royal Greenwich's borough-wide Article 4 direction removes the usual C3-to-C4 permitted development right. Check planning history, existing use and any building-control requirements rather than treating the HMO licence as planning approval.
3. Reconcile reports with controlled areas
Compare the plan, occupancy, gas record, EICR, appliance evidence, fire detection and emergency-lighting information. Resolve different addresses, omitted common parts, inaccessible cupboards or unclear freeholder responsibility before the appointment.
Practical HMO certificate questions for Greenwich properties
Is there one HMO certificate for a Greenwich licence application?
No. Royal Greenwich licenses the qualifying property, while separate gas, electrical, appliance, fire-detection and emergency-lighting records may support the application and ongoing licence conditions. The floor plan and standards do not replace those reports.
When does a Greenwich HMO need mandatory licensing?
Royal Greenwich says mandatory licensing applies where at least five people forming more than one household occupy the property as their main or only home and share at least one amenity, subject to the detailed property tests and exemptions.
Which smaller HMOs need additional licensing in Greenwich?
The borough-wide additional scheme mainly covers qualifying HMOs with at least three occupiers forming more than one household who share an amenity and use the property as their main or only home. Some other HMO building arrangements can also be included, so check the exact property.
Does a new small HMO need planning permission in Greenwich?
Royal Greenwich has removed the usual permitted development right for changing a C3 dwelling to a C4 small HMO across the borough. Planning permission and any building-control approval must be checked separately from the property licence.
What should I send before arranging Greenwich HMO inspections?
Send the complete address, occupiers and households, shared amenities, property and tenancy arrangement, floor plan, council wording, existing reports, planning information, freeholder or manager details, access contacts and deadline.
Need to organise the evidence for a Greenwich HMO?
Send the full Royal Greenwich address, current and proposed occupiers, household relationships, building and tenancy arrangement, shared facilities, floor plan, application or renewal wording, current safety records, planning information, responsible freeholder or manager, access contacts and required date. The enquiry can then be separated into the relevant inspection routes without overlooking common parts or treating the property licence as a combined certificate.