Landlords who failed to obtain HMO licenses have been fined £5,000 following a crackdown by the Royal London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
The council imposed its first civil penalty under the Housing Act 2004 after an investigation revealed that the property on Portobello Road (pictured) did not have an HMO license. The landlord, who remains anonymous, has since applied for a license and paid a fine. 
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The licensing system will be in place across the borough from June 2023, including in wealthy areas such as Notting Hill, Kensington, South Kensington, Chelsea and Knightsbridge.
The fine will be the first to be paid since the city council began cracking down on unlicensed properties this summer. Three further fines have been issued and further instances of violations are being investigated.
These penalties should serve as a lesson to landlords that they cannot get away with ignoring the rules. ”
Cem Kemahli, Principal Member for Planning and Public Realm, said: “Tell landlords that these penalties cannot be avoided by circumventing the rules or providing unsafe accommodation.
“Private rentals are vital to housing supply, but accommodation must be decent and safe,” he says.
“The new licensing system will help identify landlords and managers who are breaking the law, protecting tenants and making the market fairer for good landlords.”
targeted action
Since the new licensing regime was introduced in June 2023, the council has issued 555 licenses to HMOs.
To date, 216 licensed properties have completed improvement works as part of this scheme.
The council carried out targeted action in Earl's Court, with officers visiting around 300 premises.
They found 14 properties may be unauthorized based on responses from residents. Authorities are investigating further and plan to impose civil penalties if the landlord is found to have failed to license the property.
And now more targeted action is being taken in the Holland Road area.
HMO license fine details
