Barnet’s ten-ward selective licensing proposal reaches its consultation deadline today
Landlords in ten wards of the London Borough of Barnet could face a new selective licensing requirement costing up to £928 per property under proposals whose public consultation closes today, 15 September.
The plan is significant beyond one borough. England’s new national landlord registration service begins its regional rollout in December at £65 a property each year, while councils continue developing separate local schemes. Barnet therefore offers an early test of whether the two systems will complement each other or create costly duplication.
Nothing has been introduced by this consultation alone. The council must consider the responses and take a further decision before any new designation can begin.
Ten wards and most ordinary lettings
The proposed five-year scheme would cover Burnt Oak, Childs Hill, Colindale North, Colindale South, Cricklewood, Finchley Church End, Friern Barnet, Golders Green, Hendon and West Hendon.
It would generally apply to privately rented houses and flats in those areas, including homes occupied by a single household. Properties already requiring a mandatory or additional HMO licence would not also need the proposed selective licence.
The draft fee is £910, split into a £473 application payment and £437 after the applicant and property are accepted as licensable. From 1 January 2027, the council says it could rise to £928 if the assumed two per cent inflation increase is applied. Fees would then be reviewed annually. Accredited landlords would receive a ten per cent discount on the first part only.
Why the council says licensing is needed
Barnet’s business case records 48,850 private rented homes across the borough at the 2021 Census, representing 32.8 per cent of its housing stock. The ten proposed wards contain some of the borough’s highest concentrations of private renting.
The council received 8,491 complaints concerning non-HMO private rented properties between April 2020 and March 2025, 13 per cent more than in the previous five-year period. Inspections identified 1,581 hazards, including 986 category 1 or high category 2 hazards. Excess cold and damp and mould were among the most prominent risks.
Those figures demonstrate genuine cases requiring action, but they need context. A complaint does not prove a breach, and inspected properties are not a random survey of every rental home. The evidence identifies a problem within part of the sector; it does not show that most landlords or most homes are failing.
What a licence would change
The council proposes a licence-first, inspect-later model, using complaints and intelligence to prioritise higher-risk properties. It intends to inspect all licensed homes during the scheme where possible.
Draft conditions include providing a written tenancy agreement, taking tenant references and maintaining records. They also cover gas safety, electrical reports, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and the safety of supplied furniture and appliances.
Many of those matters already sit within national law. Licensing changes the enforcement method by requiring landlords to identify themselves, pay for the scheme and demonstrate compliance proactively. For tenants, that could mean problems are found before they become serious rather than only after a complaint. For responsible landlords, the concern is paying to repeat information already supplied elsewhere.
The cost of overlapping systems
At the announced national registration price, five annual payments would total £325 per property if the fee stayed unchanged. Added to a £928 Barnet licence, the combined headline cost would be £1,253 over five years before management time, professional help or any remedial work. For ten properties, that illustration reaches £12,530.
The two charges fund different functions. National registration is intended to improve identification and information sharing, while Barnet says its licence fee would fund administration, monitoring, inspections and enforcement. That distinction is real, but it does not remove the case for joined-up data, one set of uploads and transparent accounting for what each payment delivers.
Today is a deadline, not a launch date
The consultation closing does not require a landlord to apply or pay. Barnet says the responses will be analysed before a future report is brought to the council for a decision. The wards, fees, conditions and implementation date could still change, and the proposal could be rejected.
Landlords with properties in the ten wards should retain the final consultation documents, check the eventual designation by address and watch for the council’s decision. Tenants should also look for evidence that any approved scheme will produce timely inspections and measurable improvements rather than registration alone.
Selective licensing can give councils the resources and intelligence to tackle unsafe homes. Its legitimacy depends on targeting demonstrated problems, avoiding unnecessary duplication and showing responsible landlords and tenants what nearly £1,000 per property will achieve.
NetRent does not provide legal advice. This article represents our understanding of rental property law and is provided for general information only. Landlords should obtain independent legal or professional advice where appropriate.
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