HMO Inspections · Newham

HMO inspections and compliance assessments in Newham.

Newham has one of the largest private-rented sectors in London and licenses both three-person shares and single-household lets. Almost every rented property in the borough is caught by one scheme or another.

Qualified Environmental Health Officer — not a general surveyor
24 years' front-line housing enforcement
6,000+ property inspections
Reports typically within ten working days

Which licence applies in Newham

A licence requirement depends on how many people occupy the property and how many households they form — not on what the property looks like. Newham Council currently operates the following.

Additional HMO licence (3 or 4 people, 2 or more households) — In force since 1 January 2023 and applies in every ward except Royal Victoria & Stratford Olympic Park. Covers shared houses and flats, bedsits, and some converted flat blocks.
Mandatory HMO licence (5 or more people, 2 or more households) — The national scheme under the Housing Act 2004, applying alongside the additional scheme.
Selective licence (Single household lets) — Newham's replacement selective designation commenced on 1 June 2023. Earlier selective licences expired and cannot be renewed, so an owner holding an old licence is not necessarily covered.

Source: Newham Council — rented property licensing — checked October 2026. Licensing designations change; confirm your property's position before relying on this.

Penalties in Newham

Up to £30,000 — Financial penalty for renting a property that requires a licence without one.
Unlimited fine — On conviction, as an alternative to the civil penalty route.
Rent Repayment Order — Separate recovery of rent through the First-tier Tribunal where a property was unlicensed.

What catches Newham landlords out

The additional scheme reaches nearly the whole borough

Newham's additional licensing covers three- and four-person shares in every ward except Royal Victoria & Stratford Olympic Park. In practice, almost any shared house in the borough needs a licence — the question is usually which type, and whether the existing licence matches how the property is now occupied.

Old selective licences have expired

The replacement designation began on 1 June 2023 and earlier licences cannot be renewed. An owner who has been licensed for years without re-applying can be unlicensed without realising it.

Conversion from C3 to C4

Using a house as an HMO needs the correct planning use class, and moving from C3 to C4 may need planning permission as well as a licence. Licensing compliance and planning compliance are assessed separately, and both are checked here.

Who carries out the inspection

Liam McIntyre, BSc (Hons), LLB (Hons), MCIEH — a qualified Environmental Health Officer and Member of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, with 24 years' front-line housing enforcement and in excess of 6,000 property inspections.

Liam McIntyre spent part of his 24 years of front-line enforcement at Newham Council — a borough with a major HMO enforcement caseload and a long history of proactive licensing work.

Genuinely independent — no remedial works are sold and no fee depends on the findings.

HMO inspection scope and turnaround: HMO inspections · other boroughs: HMO inspections by borough · licensing strategy and tribunal work: landlord services · litigation: expert witness.

Book an HMO inspection in Newham

Email or WhatsApp with the property's size, occupancy and postcode and you will have a fixed fee the same working day.

Email: liam@mcintyre-property-compliance.co.uk · Phone / WhatsApp: 07527 317311