I cover the whole Royal Borough as an accredited domestic energy assessor: Chelsea (SW3), Earl’s Court (SW5), South Kensington (SW7), West Brompton and the Chelsea side of SW10, Kensington (W8), North Kensington (W10), and Notting Hill and Holland Park (W11). In a mansion block or managed building, tell me about the porter or concierge when you book and the visit is arranged around them. There is no travel surcharge anywhere inside Greater London.
| Households (2021 census) | 66,884 |
|---|---|
| Rented privately | 39.6% (London 30.0%) |
| Owned outright or with a mortgage | 31.7% (London 45.2%) |
| Social rented | 27.6% (London 23.1%) |
| Households living in a flat | 82.9% (London 54.0%) |
| …of which in a converted house | 23.5% of all households (London 11.1%) |
| Households in a house | 17.0% (London 45.9%) |
| Typical (median) EPC score | 69, band C (London 70) |
| Homes with an EPC rated C or above | 51% (London 58%) |
| Additional HMO licence (3 or more people, 2 or more households) | Since 1 June 2023, every HMO outside mandatory licensing |
| HMO licence fee, up to 5 units | £1,004 + £489, plus £72 per additional room |
| The application asks for | A floor plan including all room sizes |
Sources: Census 2021, Office for National Statistics, tables TS054 (tenure) and TS044 (accommodation type) via Nomis; London means the 33 local authorities added together. Licensing: the Royal Borough’s “Additional HMO Licensing Scheme”, “Licence fees” and “Apply for a HMO licence” pages, checked 22 October 2026. EPC figures: ONS, “Energy efficiency of housing in England and Wales” (28 October 2025), the latest certificate for each home lodged in the ten years to March 2025, at the score when it was assessed; homes without an EPC are not counted.
HMO licensing in the Royal Borough
Since 1 June 2023, Kensington and Chelsea has licensed every house in multiple occupation that falls outside the national mandatory scheme: any home occupied by three or more people living as two or more separate households who share facilities, usually a shared house or flat. Mandatory licensing covers five or more occupiers in two or more households sharing a kitchen, bathroom or WC, except where the home is a purpose-built flat in a block of more than two self-contained flats — those come under the additional scheme instead.
Both licences cost the same: £1,004 when you apply and £489 once the licence is approved, for a property of up to five units of accommodation, plus £72 for each additional room. Accredited landlords, or those employing a qualifying named manager, get £200 off, and £30 comes off each application where more than three are made with the same landlord and agent. No discount applies where the council finds an unlicensed HMO.
The application asks for a floor plan with every room size
Before you start, the council asks you to have ready a floor plan, including all room sizes, details of the bathrooms, WCs and kitchens, the property’s structure and safety equipment, and current certificates for the electrics, gas, fire alarm and emergency lighting. A laser-measured floor plan names and measures every room, so it answers that request directly, and with the EPC in the same visit it costs from £123. Most privately rented homes also need an EPC rated E or above unless an exemption has been registered — the landlord guide explains, and the HMO guide covers shared homes. Checked on the council’s HMO licensing pages on 22 October 2026; City Hall’s property licence checker shows the scheme by address.
What the assessment looks at in a Kensington or Chelsea home
How homes in Kensington and Chelsea score today. The ONS’s latest figures use each home’s most recent EPC lodged in the ten years to March 2025. The typical (median) score here is 69, band C, against 70 across London, and 51% of those homes are rated C or above (London 58%). Homes built before 1929 have a median of 67, against 84 for homes built since 2012; flats and maisonettes come out at 70, terraced houses at 62. How every London borough compares.
82.9% of households in the Royal Borough live in a flat, 23.5% in a flat in a converted house — the third-highest share in London — and 39.6% rent privately, also the third-highest.
Tall terraces, divided floor by floor
Kensington’s density comes largely from dividing tall Georgian and Victorian terraced houses, generally four to six floors high, into flats. Notting Hill’s Ladbroke Estate was laid out from the 1820s and built mainly from the 1840s, with terraces of large Victorian townhouses, and the District Railway of 1865 to 1869 turned Earl’s Court from farmland into a Victorian suburb. A flat on one floor of such a house is shaped by what is above and below it, by walls that are usually solid, and by the windows; if secondary glazing or insulation has been added, the paperwork helps the assessment record it.
Listed homes and conservation areas
If your home is listed, that alone does not exempt it from needing an EPC: a listed home is exempt only where meeting minimum energy performance requirements would unacceptably alter its character or appearance. In a listed building or a conservation area, changes such as new windows or external insulation can need consent, so check the improvements an EPC suggests against what is allowed before planning the work.
Selling in Kensington and Chelsea
31.7% of households here own their home. A sale needs an EPC ordered before the home is marketed — the sellers’ guide covers when, and the narrow exemptions.
Prices
- Domestic EPC from £69
- EPC + floor plan from £123, in one visit
- Floor plan only from £69
Guide prices by size: £69 for a flat up to 52 square metres, £75 from 53 to 70, £85 from 71 to 95, £90 up to 110 and from £95 above. Confirmed in writing before you book and paid after the visit. How EPC prices compare across London.
Common questions
Do I need an HMO licence in Kensington and Chelsea?
If three or more people living as two or more separate households share facilities, yes. The additional scheme has covered every HMO outside mandatory licensing since 1 June 2023, and five or more people sharing need a mandatory licence.
What does the RBKC HMO licence application ask for?
Among other things, a floor plan including all room sizes, details of the bathrooms, WCs and kitchens, the property’s structure and safety equipment, and current electrical, gas, fire alarm and emergency lighting certificates.
How much is an HMO licence in Kensington and Chelsea?
£1,004 when you apply and £489 once the licence is approved, for up to five units of accommodation, plus £72 for each additional room. Accredited landlords get £200 off.
Does a listed home in Kensington and Chelsea need an EPC?
Being listed does not exempt it on its own. A listed home is exempt only where meeting minimum energy performance requirements would unacceptably alter its character or appearance.
How much is an EPC for a flat in Kensington and Chelsea?
From £69 for a flat of up to 52 square metres and £75 for 53 to 70, rising with floor area. The price is confirmed in writing before you book, with no travel surcharge.
Nearby
Next door: Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham and Brent, with Wandsworth across the river. I cover every London borough.