If you let property anywhere across Greater London or the Home Counties and HMRC has written to you, the first thing to know is that most enquiries are settled with organised paperwork, not disaster. We help you understand exactly what HMRC is asking for, gather the records for the years in question, and prepare a clear response — wherever in the capital your properties sit.
The local rule that catches London landlords out
London is the most heavily licensed rental market in the country. Its 33 boroughs each set their own licensing schemes, on top of the national rules, and these change often. Many boroughs run borough-wide selective licensing. Under it, any privately rented home in a designated area needs a licence — not just shared houses. Newham has run England’s first such scheme since 2013. Fees rose 15–40% across boroughs in 2025/26. If you let a property that needs a licence and it has none, you risk a fine of up to £30,000, a rent-repayment order, and the court refusing you possession.
This is a council matter, not a tax one. But if your portfolio spans several boroughs, you are dealing with a patchwork of fees, dates and rules — and those licence costs and the rents behind them are exactly the records an HMRC enquiry looks at. Always check the current position with the specific borough council.
Areas we support
- All 33 London boroughs — from Barnet, Brent, Camden and Ealing to Croydon, Newham, Southwark and Tower Hamlets
- West London and the Heathrow corridor — see our dedicated Hounslow & Heathrow page
- Home Counties: Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Kent and Essex
- Commuter towns: Watford, St Albans, Luton, High Wycombe, Slough, Reading, Woking, Guildford, Bromley, Dartford, Chelmsford
Why an HMRC enquiry can feel harder across London
- Portfolios spread across boroughs — each with its own licensing, fees and paperwork, making records complex to pull together.
- High-value, high-turnover lettings — frequent tenant changes, agent-managed and self-managed mixed, deposits and rents across several accounts.
- A mix of single lets, HMOs, company-owned and jointly owned property, sometimes acquired over decades.
- Remortgages, refurbishments and changes of use that make the record trail harder to follow across a large portfolio.
What we do for landlords under enquiry
We help you deal with the enquiry from start to finish, on your side of the table:
- Explain the HMRC letter in plain English, so you know exactly what is being asked.
- Help you gather and organise the records for each property and each year — use our Seven-Part Check to see the full list.
- Help you prepare your reply — our reply-letter builder writes the safe first response — and, where something was missed, work through a Let Property Campaign disclosure.
- Give you the figures with our penalty estimator and liability estimator.
- Explain the letter and the deadline
- Help you organise records and spot gaps
- Help you prepare your response and any disclosure
- Give you the tools to work out the figures
- Your tax agent — you sign and send
- A regulated financial or legal adviser
- Able to guarantee an HMRC outcome
- The right place for a Code of Practice 9 case — get a specialist
Common questions from London and Home Counties landlords
Do you only help landlords in central London?
No. We help landlords across all 33 London boroughs and the Home Counties, and anywhere else in the UK, facing an HMRC enquiry.
My properties are in several boroughs with different licensing rules. Does that matter for an HMRC enquiry?
The licensing rules are a council matter and vary by borough. But the licence fees you pay and the rents from each property are records HMRC will want to see, so a portfolio spread across boroughs is exactly where clear, property-by-property records matter most.
Are you my tax agent?
No. We help you understand the letter, get your records in order and prepare your response. You sign and send it. Nothing here is regulated financial advice.
I have property in West London near Heathrow. Is there a page for that?
Yes — see our Hounslow, Heathrow & M4 corridor page, which covers the local HMO licensing scheme there.
Landlord Tax Enquiry helps landlords prepare for and respond to HMRC enquiries. We are not a tax agent, not a regulated financial or legal adviser, and this page is general information, not advice on your own position. Local licensing figures are current at the review date; always confirm with the relevant borough council. Phone 07359 169970.