Brent licensing in Kenton: which side of Kenton Road?

A rental on the Brent side of Kenton Road needs a Brent selective licence unless it is exempt or licensed as an HMO. Brent's designation for its Kenton, Northwick Park and Preston wards started on 1 April 2024; Brent's designation notice gives an end date of 3 March 2029. Since 2 February 2026, houses of three or four sharers need a Brent additional licence too.

Our office is on Kenton Lane, close to the boundary. This guide explains where the line runs, what Brent's licences require, and how the paperwork differs from a let on the Harrow side. For the wider picture across Harrow, Brent and Barnet, see our guide to which licensing scheme covers your address.

Which side of Kenton Road is your rental on?

Kenton Road marks the boundary between the London Boroughs of Harrow and Brent. Harrow's wards are Kenton East and Kenton West. Brent's are Kenton, Northwick Park and Preston, which runs towards Preston Road in HA9. The postcode alone will not tell you, because HA3 covers both councils.

1. Put the full postcode into GOV.UK's find your local council tool.
2. If it returns Brent, the address is under Brent's schemes. Only Wembley Park ward is outside Brent's selective licensing.
3. If it returns Harrow, Kenton East and Kenton West are outside Harrow's selective scheme. Read our guide to Harrow's HMO rules if you let to sharers.

Our Kenton page shows which streets fall on each side. At the 2021 Census, 27.8% of households in Brent's Kenton ward rented privately, 25.7% in Northwick Park and 37.1% in Preston.

What licences does Brent run, and which apply in Kenton?

Brent runs all three types of licence, and all three reach its Kenton wards. The table shows each scheme as listed on Brent's licensing pages when we checked them in October 2026.

Brent's licensing schemes (checked on brent.gov.uk, October 2026)

So on the Brent side of Kenton, almost every privately rented home needs one licence or another. A flat let to a couple needs a selective licence. A house let to three friends needs an additional licence. A house of five sharers needs a mandatory one. A licensed HMO does not need a selective licence as well.

Brent also requires planning permission to turn a family house into a small HMO in most of the borough, under an Article 4 direction in force since 1 November 2022. Harrow brought in its own borough-wide version in June 2026, covering any new small HMO from 12 June, and confirmed it on 14 October 2026 after its Cabinet agreed in September to make it permanent.

How do the rules differ on the Harrow side?

On the Harrow side, an ordinary single-household let needs no licence, while on the Brent side it needs a selective licence with written conditions; the national safety rules apply to both.

Licensing either side of Kenton Road (checked October 2026)

What do Brent's selective licence conditions ask for?

Brent's selective licence conditions (April 2023) ask for a yearly gas check, a safe electrical installation, safe appliances and furniture, working alarms, lock changes where keys go missing and six-monthly inspections, with most documents due within 14 days of a request. These are the safety items, in plain English.

• Gas. Have the gas installation and appliances checked every year by a Gas Safe engineer. Give the tenant a copy at the start of their occupation. Send the council the certificate within 14 days if it asks.
• Electrical installation. Keep it in proper working order and safe for continued use, and give the council a declaration on demand.
• Appliances. Keep supplied appliances safe. If asked, provide test reports on their condition within 14 days. A declaration on its own may not be enough.
• Furniture. Keep it safe under the fire safety regulations, with a declaration within 14 days of a request.
• Alarms. A smoke alarm on every storey with living accommodation. A carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance, except gas cookers. Repair or replace them once told they are faulty.
• Locks. Change the relevant locks before new occupants move in if previous occupants did not return their keys. See changing locks between tenants.
• Inspections. Inspect the property at least every six months, including the roof, walls, drainage, windows and doors outside. Send any inspection report within 14 days if asked.

The appliance condition goes further than most. Brent can ask for test reports, not only a declaration, even on an ordinary family let. A dated PAT record and asset register is the practical way to answer within 14 days. Our page on PAT testing in Kenton covers how that works on each side of the road.

What extra does a Brent HMO licence require?

A Brent HMO licence adds an EICR within 28 days of a request, yearly servicing of fire systems, a fire risk assessment where the Fire Safety Order applies and a PAT report on demand. These conditions apply to Brent's additional licences for three or four sharers, as well as to mandatory licences. The November 2025 conditions include:

• EICR on demand. Provide a current report, no more than five years old, covering the whole installation, within 28 days of the council asking. Complete urgent items (C1 and C2) within 28 days of the report.
• Gas. Produce the certificate to the council every year, and within 14 days on demand. If the council tells you about a gas safety risk, send a new certificate within 14 days. Separately, the national HMO management regulations require any HMO manager to send the latest gas certificate within 7 days of a written request, so in an HMO work to 7 days.
• Appliances. A declaration at the point of application. A PAT report within 14 days of the council asking.
• Fire systems. Fire detection, escape routes and firefighting equipment serviced every year by a registered, qualified person. Fire doors, alarms and emergency lighting kept in full working order.
• Fire risk assessment. Carried out by a competent person where the Fire Safety Order applies.
• Display. A copy of the current gas safety certificate on display in a common area, near the entrance if possible.

Our guide to what licence conditions ask for compares these with Harrow's and Barnet's.

Which checks should you book before applying or renewing?

Book the EICR and gas safety check together, then PAT testing and an alarm check, and diary the six-monthly inspection, so you can answer any 14-day request without a new visit. Our full certificate checklist explains the order.

1. EICR. We send the report within 48 hours. If it lists C1 or C2 items, or says further investigation is required, you have up to 28 days to deal with them, and our electricians can quote the work.
2. Gas safety check. The record is issued on the day. Keep a copy for the tenant, one for the council and, in an HMO, one on display.
3. Appliances. A PAT certificate and asset register is issued on the day, ready for a test-report request.
4. Alarms. Test every smoke and CO alarm, and note the date.
5. Diary the six-monthly inspection. Write up what you checked outside: roof, walls, drainage, windows and doors.

Our landlord gas safety checks and electrical inspections are fixed-price, with the price confirmed before we attend.

What happens if you let without a Brent licence?

Letting a licensable property without a licence is a criminal offence, with civil penalties of up to £40,000 per offence since 1 May 2026; our licensing guide covers the penalties. Brent's own condition booklets quote an older penalty figure, so go by the current law.

If you let property in both boroughs, keep two files. The Brent file needs dates and reports ready to send. The Harrow file for an unlicensed single let is lighter, but the national rules on gas, electrics and alarms still apply. For Edgware addresses, read Barnet HMO licensing and the Edgware split.

For local booking, see PAT testing in Kenton, gas safety certificate in Kenton, EICR in Kenton, painting and decorating in Kenton, tiling in Kenton, property maintenance in Kenton and legionella risk assessment in Kenton. Our Kenton area page covers the rest of our local work.