Barking and Dagenham vs Newham — Landlord Licensing Compared

Side-by-side comparison of selective and additional HMO licensing in Barking and Dagenham and Newham. Reference data from each council's own pages and GOV.UK.

Adjacent east-London boroughs with high private-rented density.

Barking and Dagenham (Greater London)

• Selective licensing: Designated areas only. New selective licensing scheme effective from 6 April 2025 covering designated areas.
• Additional HMO licensing: City-wide scheme in force. Barking and Dagenham operates an additional HMO licensing scheme, launched on 9 January 2025 and running for five years. The council states an additional licence is needed where a property is an HMO occupied by three or four people forming two or more households and is not already covered by mandatory licensing. The published designation notice applies to the entire area of the borough. Confirm the current position on the council's own property licensing pages before applying.
• Council licensing page: https://www.lbbd.gov.uk/private-sector-housing/property-licensing
• Council HMO page: https://www.lbbd.gov.uk/private-sector-housing/property-licensing/do-i-need-licence
• Full reference page: https://letsentry.co.uk/council/barking-and-dagenham

Newham (Greater London)

• Selective licensing: Designated areas only. Borough-wide selective licensing launched 1 June 2023, excluding Stratford Olympic Park and Royal Victoria wards.
• Additional HMO licensing: Status not yet verified. Not yet independently verified — check the council page.
• Council licensing page: https://www.newham.gov.uk/landlords-newham/rented-property-licensing/7
• Council HMO page: https://www.newham.gov.uk/landlords-newham/rented-property-licensing/9
• Full reference page: https://letsentry.co.uk/council/newham

Mandatory HMO licensing applies in both areas: any HMO occupied by 5 or more people forming 2 or more households needs a licence anywhere in England.

Sources: - legislation.gov.uk — Housing Act 2004 — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/34/contents - GOV.UK — House in multiple occupation (HMO) licence — https://www.gov.uk/house-in-multiple-occupation-licence

Last verified: 2026-06-28. Reference data only — always check each council's own page before applying.