Local HMO compliance enquiry route
HMO Certificate Enquiries in Havering
Prepare the separate safety and property records relevant to a Havering HMO application, renewal, conversion or managed-house handover. Since 18 March 2026, Havering has operated borough-wide additional HMO licensing for qualifying homes occupied by three or four unrelated people who share amenities, alongside mandatory licensing for HMOs with five or more residents in two or more households. Some Section 257 converted-flat buildings can also enter the additional route. Planning must be checked independently: Havering uses two Article 4 directions whose effect depends on the ward and dwelling type, while a large HMO of seven or more occupiers is a sui generis planning use. Send the complete address, residents, households, building form, facilities, current use, floor plan, existing reports, planning evidence, responsible contacts and deadline so the licence and inspection questions are not combined into one misleading certificate request.
See all London HMO certificate areas
Choose the licence route from the occupation and building facts
Havering now has mandatory, additional and selective property-licensing routes, but they do not apply to the same occupation. Count residents and households, identify shared facilities and record the building arrangement before selecting a form or requesting inspection records.
Residents, households and facilities
List every current or proposed resident, explain who forms a household and identify the kitchen, bathroom, WC or washing facilities they share. State whether the total is three, four, five or more people, because that determines whether an HMO is considered under additional or mandatory licensing.
House, flat or Section 257 building
Describe a shared house, flat above commercial premises, maisonette, bedsit arrangement or building converted into self-contained flats. For a possible Section 257 HMO, provide the conversion date, building-control evidence, lease information and proportion of flats occupied under relevant tenancies.
Ward, property type and planning use
Give the full postcode, ward if known, current lawful use and whether the dwelling is detached, semi-detached, terraced or a flat. Attach any planning permission or Certificate of Lawful Use because Havering's two Article 4 directions do not describe every dwelling in the same way.
Records, people and access
Provide the gas certificate, EPC, floor plans and available electrical or fire-safety evidence, together with any council request. Name the tenant, landlord, agent, freeholder or block manager who controls bedrooms, shared rooms, meters, consumer units, alarm equipment and common-area cupboards.
Havering HMO planning and access can change across wards and property types
Romford, Gidea Park, Collier Row, Harold Hill and Harold Wood include flats above shops, terraces, semis, purpose-built blocks, converted houses and newer apartment schemes. Brooklands, Romford Town, Heaton and Gooshays sit within Havering's first HMO Article 4 direction, which removes the usual C3-to-C4 permitted development right for any dwelling in those wards. Give the precise ward and planning history rather than treating an RM postcode as the legal test. Busy high streets, controlled parking, station approaches, concierge desks and agent-held keys should be planned before attendance, especially when an electrical intake or alarm panel is outside the rented unit.
Hornchurch, Elm Park, Rainham, Upminster, Cranham and South Hornchurch include suburban family houses, maisonettes, estates and properties extended into lofts, garages or rear additions. Outside the four wards named in Direction Notice 1, Havering's second direction applies to flats, terraced houses and semi-detached houses; a detached property needs its own planning assessment rather than an assumption. Beam Park and Rainham also include newer blocks where the leaseholder may control the flat while a managing company controls entrance halls, risers, meters, alarm systems or emergency lighting. Send the complete entrance instructions, parking position, gate code, room changes and separate common-parts contact.
Match Havering's document list to the correct submission stage
Havering publishes different timings for HMO evidence. Some information is requested with the application, while other documents must be produced within 28 days when requested. The property licence, floor plans, gas record, electrical certificate and fire-safety information each answer a different question and should remain complete, identifiable records.
Gas certificate at application
Havering lists a valid gas certificate as an application-stage HMO document. Confirm the full address, supply, meters, boilers, fires, cookers, flues and other landlord-controlled gas appliances. Send the complete record and evidence for any resolved safety issue rather than only the signature page.
Rooms, floor plans and EPC
The application-stage list includes the size and number of habitable rooms for multiple-household properties, floor plans and an Energy Performance Certificate. Make the room names, measurements, facilities, entrances and occupancy schedule consistent across the plan and application.
Electrical certificate when requested
Havering says an electrical safety certificate from an accredited body must be produced within 28 days of request. Provide the full report, consumer-unit details and remedial evidence, and identify whether the report covers only the dwelling or any landlord-controlled communal installation.
Fire evacuation and management evidence
The council can request the tenancy or licence agreement, tenant references and fire-safety evacuation information within 28 days. Explain the escape route, detection, doors, common areas and responsible manager, then keep any alarm or emergency-lighting test records separate from the written evacuation information.
Which Havering licensing scheme and document timetable apply?
Havering's current additional licensing scheme applies across the borough from 18 March 2026 until 17 March 2031 to qualifying HMOs occupied by three or four unrelated people who share basic facilities. Mandatory licensing continues for qualifying HMOs with five or more people in two or more households. A separate selective scheme covers single-family rentals and one or two unrelated occupants in Beam Park, Harold Wood, Rainham and Wennington, Rush Green and Crowlands, Squirrels Heath, St Albans and St Edwards; it should not be substituted for the HMO route.
Havering lists a valid gas certificate, habitable-room information, interested-party notification, EPC and floor plans at application. It can request the tenancy or licence agreement, tenant references, fire evacuation information and an electrical safety certificate within 28 days. Planning remains independent: Direction Notice 1 covers any dwelling in four named wards, while Direction Notice 2 covers flats, terraces and semis elsewhere, and larger HMOs require a sui generis assessment. London Landlord Certifications can route requested inspection enquiries; it cannot determine licensing, planning, building-control approval or council acceptance.
Coordinate Havering licensing, planning and safety evidence in order
1. Select mandatory or additional HMO licensing
Use mandatory licensing for a qualifying HMO with five or more people in two or more households. Use the borough-wide additional scheme for qualifying smaller HMOs with three or four unrelated residents who share amenities, and investigate the council's Section 257 criteria for relevant converted-flat buildings.
2. Resolve the planning route separately
Check the ward, dwelling type, existing lawful use, Article 4 direction and any proposed increase to seven or more occupiers. Havering says a licence does not authorise the planning use and may issue a one-year HMO licence where required planning consent has not yet been approved.
3. Build a dated application evidence schedule
List every application-stage document and every item that may be requested within 28 days. Reconcile the address, rooms, residents, gas appliances, fixed electrical installation, fire information, tenancy documents and authorised access before the council or letting deadline.
Practical HMO certificate questions for Havering properties
Is there one HMO certificate for a Havering property?
No. Havering Council issues the relevant property licence, while gas, electrical, fire-safety, EPC, floor-plan and tenancy records each serve a separate purpose. The licence does not replace those records or grant planning permission.
When does a Havering HMO need mandatory licensing?
Mandatory licensing applies across Havering to a qualifying HMO occupied by five or more people living in two or more households who share facilities such as a kitchen, bathroom or toilet.
Which smaller HMOs need additional licensing in Havering?
From 18 March 2026 to 17 March 2031, Havering's borough-wide additional scheme covers qualifying HMOs occupied by three or four unrelated people who share basic amenities. Some Section 257 converted-flat buildings can also require an additional licence.
Does a new HMO need planning permission in Havering?
The answer depends on the ward, dwelling type and proposed use. Havering's first Article 4 direction covers any dwelling in Brooklands, Romford Town, Heaton and Gooshays; the second covers flats, terraces and semis elsewhere. A seven-plus-person HMO is sui generis and requires a separate planning assessment.
What should I send before arranging Havering HMO inspections?
Send the full address and postcode, ward, dwelling type, residents and households, shared facilities, floor plans, current use, licensing wording, gas and electrical records, EPC, fire information, planning evidence, responsible contacts, access notes and deadline.
Need to organise the application evidence for a Havering HMO?
Send the full Havering address, ward and dwelling type, present and proposed residents, household relationships, shared facilities, building or conversion history, floor plans, council wording, current gas, electrical, EPC and fire-safety information, planning or lawful-use evidence, landlord and managing contacts, access arrangements and required date. The enquiry can then be separated into the relevant inspection routes while the mandatory, additional and planning decisions remain clear.