Rent-to-rent deals in London

London is not a single regulatory market. Licensing schemes, additional and selective licensing, and Article 4 directions are decided by individual local authorities — the London boroughs and the City of London — so two properties a short distance apart can sit under different requirements.

Start by establishing which borough the address falls in rather than inferring it from the postcode district, because postcode areas and borough boundaries do not line up. Then confirm the current position with that council directly. Treat any licensing summary in a listing, or on this page, as a prompt to verify rather than as confirmation of what applies.

A landlord may intend to let you operate the property and still not have the authority to permit it. Where the property is leasehold, the lease may restrict sub-letting, change of use or occupancy levels, and the freeholder or managing agent may have a separate say. The landlord's mortgage conditions and buildings insurance can each impose their own limits.

Ask to see permission in writing, and check it covers your actual intended use. An agreement to let is not an agreement to run a multi-let or to accept short-stay guests. Where the lease, lender or insurer position is unclear, get it confirmed in writing before you commit money or sign anything.

If the plan is serviced accommodation rather than a residential let, the permitted use question is separate from consent. Restrictions on the short-term letting of residential property apply in Greater London, and whether a particular address and pattern of use falls inside them depends on the specifics. Planning consent may be required.

This page cannot tell you how those rules apply to a given property, and neither can a listing. Confirm the planning position with the relevant borough, and take professional planning advice where the intended use is not already established. Build the cost and the timescale of getting that confirmed into the deal rather than assuming it.