Local HMO compliance enquiry route
HMO Certificate Enquiries in Lewisham
Prepare the separate records requested for a Lewisham HMO licence, renewal, property handover or planned shared letting. Lewisham Council currently operates mandatory licensing for qualifying larger HMOs and an additional scheme for smaller HMOs across the borough. The current additional designation is due to cease on 4 April 2027 unless it is revoked earlier, so applications and tenancy decisions close to that date need a fresh council check. Licensing does not settle planning: two Article 4 directions cover the whole borough and remove the usual permitted development route from a C3 home to a C4 small HMO. Send the full address, occupation, household relationships, plan, current use, planning history, council wording, existing reports, access arrangements and deadline before selecting inspections.
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Start with the licence date, layout and exact evidence request
Lewisham's licensing threshold, planning position and safety-document list answer different questions. Establish all three before arranging visits so the right competent people attend the right parts of the building.
People, households and facilities
List every occupier, explain who belongs to the same household and identify each shared kitchen, bathroom, WC or other amenity. Include children and resident landlords when describing the actual arrangement, then note whether agreements are joint, room-by-room or licences to occupy.
Application or renewal timing
State whether this is a first licence, renewal, purchase review, agent handover or proposed letting. If the date is near 4 April 2027, attach the latest council correspondence because the current additional designation is time-limited and the live route may change.
Plans and altered rooms
Provide a legible floor plan showing rooms, dimensions, facilities, stairs, entrances and the intended use of every level. Flag lofts, rear additions, subdivided rooms, moved kitchens, bedsits or self-contained areas that may not match older plans, reports or planning records.
Access and controlled systems
Name the tenant, landlord, agent, freeholder or concierge who can open each included space. Identify meter positions, consumer units, boilers, alarm panels, emergency-lighting test points, landlord appliances and any communal cupboards outside the let accommodation.
Plan Lewisham HMO visits around the property, not just the postcode
Lewisham, Catford, Hither Green, Brockley, Forest Hill and Sydenham contain a varied stock of Victorian and Edwardian terraces, converted flats, maisonettes, houses with loft or rear additions and later purpose-built blocks. A room-by-room letting can place the boiler, consumer unit or alarm controls inside one tenant's space while other equipment serves a shared hall or stair. Record who can enter each room and whether tenants need notice. Controlled parking, school-street restrictions, narrow access roads and keys held away from the property can affect appointment timing, so include practical arrival information rather than relying on the postcode alone.
Deptford, New Cross, Telegraph Hill, Ladywell and areas near the Greenwich or Southwark boundaries include flats over shops, mixed-use buildings, mansion blocks, estates and newer managed developments. The postal address does not always make the responsible borough obvious, and access to a flat does not automatically include a freeholder-controlled entrance hall, riser, roof space or plant cupboard. Give the complete postcode, building and flat number, correct entrance, concierge or estate instructions and the person responsible for common parts. Where commercial premises sit below an HMO, distinguish domestic accommodation and shared escape routes from any separate business gas or electrical installation.
Separate Lewisham's supporting records by system and purpose
Lewisham Council's current after-application page lists several documents to be provided within 28 days of the application. Each record has its own scope, date, competent-person requirements and remedial process; the property licence and floor plan do not replace them.
Gas safety record
Where gas is supplied, Lewisham's licensing standards call for an annual gas safety certificate covering the installation and appliances. Send the current record, appliance list, meter and boiler locations, and evidence that recorded defects have been dealt with. A Gas Safe registered engineer must complete gas safety work within the relevant categories.
Fixed electrical installation
The council standards require the electrical installation to be maintained safely and inspected at least every five years. Provide the full EICR, all consumer-unit locations and written evidence for completed remedial work. An inspection limited to one flat may not address freeholder-controlled common parts.
PAT, alarms and emergency lighting
Lewisham's after-application list includes PAT, emergency-lighting and fire-detection records. Prepare an inventory of landlord-supplied portable appliances and describe detectors, sounders, panels, call points, escape lighting and the areas they serve so each test has a defined boundary.
Fire risk and premises plan
The licensing standards ask for a fire risk assessment and the application process also requires plans of the premises. Show escape routes, fire doors, shared halls, stairs, final exits and any mixed-use interface. A plan records the arrangement; it is not a test certificate for the installed fire-safety systems.
Which Lewisham scheme dates, standards and documents apply?
Lewisham Council currently describes two HMO licensing routes. Mandatory licensing applies to qualifying properties with five or more occupiers in more than one household who share amenities. The additional scheme applies borough-wide to many other HMOs, including three- or four-person shared properties, certain purpose-built flats and some resident-landlord arrangements. Its public designation commenced on 5 April 2022 and is due to cease on 4 April 2027 unless revoked earlier. Because that date is approaching, applicants should not assume that today's additional scheme will remain unchanged for a later tenancy, purchase or renewal.
The council's current standards cover gas safety, five-year electrical inspection, landlord-provided portable appliances, fire precautions, escape routes, room sizes and amenities. Its after-application page lists PAT, emergency-lighting, electrical-inspection, fire-detection and gas-safety records plus premises plans within 28 days. Separately, two Article 4 directions cover the whole borough and require planning permission for a C3-to-C4 change. London Landlord Certifications can route requested inspection enquiries; it cannot decide licensing, planning, building-control approval or council acceptance.
Coordinate the Lewisham licence, planning check and inspections
1. Confirm the live licensing route
Check the occupier count, household relationships, shared amenities, property type and any exclusions. Use mandatory licensing for a qualifying five-plus-person HMO and verify the current additional route for smaller arrangements, especially for a date near or after 4 April 2027.
2. Check lawful use and building history
Lewisham's two Article 4 directions cover the whole borough, so a proposed C3-to-C4 change needs planning permission rather than automatic permitted development. Review the planning record and any structural or layout alterations separately from the HMO licence.
3. Match every report to the current plan
Compare addresses, room uses, occupier numbers, gas appliances, electrical boards, landlord appliances, fire detection, emergency lighting and escape routes. Resolve omissions, expired reports, incomplete remedial evidence and inaccessible common parts before the council's document deadline.
Practical HMO certificate questions for Lewisham properties
Is there one HMO certificate for a Lewisham licence application?
No. Lewisham Council licenses the qualifying property, while gas safety, fixed electrical, PAT, emergency-lighting, fire-detection and fire-risk records address different systems or duties. The premises plan supports the application but does not certify any installation.
When does a Lewisham HMO need mandatory licensing?
Lewisham says mandatory licensing applies when five or more people from more than one household occupy an HMO and share amenities such as bathrooms, toilets or cooking facilities. Detailed definitions and exemptions still need to be checked for the individual property.
Which smaller Lewisham HMOs fall under additional licensing?
The current borough-wide scheme covers many properties occupied by three or four unrelated people sharing facilities, purpose-built flats with three or more unrelated occupiers sharing facilities, and arrangements where more than two tenants share with a resident landlord and that landlord's household. The published designation is due to cease on 4 April 2027, so recheck the live position for later dates.
Does a proposed small HMO need planning permission in Lewisham?
Yes, where the proposal changes a C3 dwelling house to a C4 small HMO. Lewisham says two Article 4 directions cover the whole borough and remove that permitted development right. Planning permission is separate from HMO licensing and building-control requirements.
What should I send before arranging Lewisham HMO inspections?
Send the complete address, occupiers and households, shared facilities, property and tenancy arrangement, application or renewal date, floor plan, council request, current reports, planning history, building alterations, responsible parties, access instructions and deadline.
Need to organise a Lewisham HMO evidence file?
Send the full Lewisham address, present and proposed occupiers, household relationships, shared facilities, tenancy and management arrangement, licence timing, floor plan, council wording, current safety reports, remedial evidence, planning history, building changes, freeholder or agent details, access contacts and required date. The enquiry can then be divided into the relevant gas, electrical, PAT, fire-detection, emergency-lighting or fire-risk routes without treating them as one combined certificate.