Confirm the area and licence route
Selective licensing can cover privately rented homes that are not HMOs. The local notice defines its area and exclusions. Check whether mandatory or additional HMO licensing applies first, then confirm the selective boundary and exemptions for the exact property.
Read the HMO licence guide for the national threshold and local additional route. An additional HMO designation absent from this catalogue still needs council confirmation.
Reviewed selective designations
Each linked record has its own source, period and scope. These dates describe the scheme, rather than the expiry of an individual licence. Check the council’s current application service and fee before applying.
Hackney selective licensing: 2026 commencement
Hackney’s current selective designation covers 17 mapped wards from May 2026. Its smaller HMO route applies across the whole borough instead.
Area: Brownswood, Cazenove, Clissold, Dalston, De Beauvoir, Hackney Central, Hackney Downs, Hackney Wick, Homerton, King’s Park, Lea Bridge, London Fields, Shacklewell, Springfield, Stamford Hill West, Stoke Newington and Victoria.
The legal ward map must establish the exact address. An address outside the selective area may still require additional or mandatory HMO licensing.
Exclusions to confirm
- Mandatory or additional licensable HMOs use the relevant HMO route instead.
- Social housing, management orders, temporary exemptions and statutory exempt tenancies require the notice’s exact definitions.
Before an application
- Use Hackney’s ward checker and notice map for the exact property.
- For three or more sharers, check the borough-wide HMO routes first.
Reviewed · Revision 1
Questions about Hackney selective licensing
Can a home outside the selective wards still need a licence?
Yes. The additional HMO designation is borough-wide for its qualifying category, and national mandatory HMO licensing also applies. An address outside selective licensing is not a general exemption.
Does the additional notice include Section 257 buildings?
The adopted notice expressly excludes them. The treatment of individual flats and other HMO arrangements still needs a property-specific council assessment.
Can the Rental Licensing checker confirm an exact selective boundary?
No. It can identify the reviewed local records and show which facts still need checking. Selective results with an unresolved area remain manual review. Use the official council map or address service before treating a home as included or excluded.
What evidence should I keep after confirming the correct licence route?
Keep the relevant designation and boundary evidence, application acknowledgement, individual licence and its actual expiry and conditions. This guide records scheme dates; it does not verify that your property has a valid licence.