Lambeth council issues almost £100,000 in fines for HMO licensing failures

Lambeth has issued £96,500 worth of fines to landlords operating unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMO) since 2020, according to findings seen by Brixton Buzz following a Freedom of Information Request.

In Lambeth, landlords who rent out their properties to at least three tenants forming more than one household who share facilities, such as a toilet, bathroom and kitchen, are legally required to obtain a licence. Landlords who fail to licence a property could face prosecution or financial penalties of up to £30,000.

Tenants living in unlicensed properties may be entitled to 12 months’ rent with a rent repayment order.

Between May 2020 and March 2025, Lambeth Council issued eight fines to landlords, ranging in price from £5,000 to £24,500.

In December 2024, two landlords were fined £11,000 and £21,500 for operating unlicensed HMOs on Mayall Road, Herne Hill, SE24 0PR and Glenister Park Road, Streatham, SW16 5DR respectively.

Searching Lambeth’s register of licensed HMOs shows that neither property was registered at the time of writing.

According to Planning documents on Lambeth Council’s website, the property on Glenister Park Road approved a building control application for a single-storey rear extension, loft conversion and conversion to a six-person HMO.

A separate FOI submitted on WhatDoTheyKnow shows that there are 18 licensed HMOs operating on Glenister Park Road.

Last year, 49-year-old Basilio Dos Santos Antonio died in a house fire inside a multi-occupancy house in Glenister Park Road.

A landlord operating a property on Elmworth Grove, West Dulwich, SE21 8RQ was issued a fine worth £5,500 earlier this year in March. It is a registered HMO according to Lambeth’s register.

Of the 33 local authorities in London, 23 responded to Brixton Buzz’s Freedom of Information Request on the number of fines issued to landlords operating unlicensed HMOs.

Lambeth Council has been contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.

See FoI response here – PDF format