I am an accredited domestic energy assessor covering all of Lambeth: Brixton and Stockwell (SW9), Brixton Hill, Tulse Hill and Streatham Hill (SW2), Clapham (SW4), Vauxhall and South Lambeth (SW8), Kennington (SE11), Herne Hill (SE24), West Norwood (SE27), Streatham (SW16), and the South Bank and Waterloo in SE1. There is no travel surcharge anywhere inside Greater London.
| Households (2021 census) | 134,688 |
|---|---|
| Rented privately | 31.4% (London 30.0%) |
| Owned outright or with a mortgage | 33.0% (London 45.2%) |
| Social rented | 33.6% (London 23.1%) |
| Households living in a flat | 75.1% (London 54.0%) |
| …of which in a converted house | 20.6% of all households (London 11.1%) |
| Households in a house | 24.8% (London 45.9%) |
| Typical (median) EPC score | 70, band C (London 70) |
| Homes with an EPC rated C or above | 58% (London 58%) |
| Selective licence (one family or up to two sharers) | Every ward but Vauxhall and Waterloo & South Bank; £1,025 (£717.50 + £307.50) |
| Documents asked for | Include an annotated floor plan; the EPC for the discount |
| EPC discount | £50 off part B for C or better |
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: Lambeth Council’s “Selective Licensing Scheme” page, 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.
Lambeth’s selective licence covers almost the whole borough
Lambeth brought in selective licensing in two phases. Phase 1 started on 2 September 2024 in Knights Hill, Streatham Common and Vale, Streatham Hill East and Streatham St. Leonard’s. Phase 2 followed on 1 September 2025 in Brixton Acre Lane, Brixton North, Brixton Rush Common, Brixton Windrush, Clapham Common and Abbeville, Clapham East, Clapham Park, Clapham Town, Gipsy Hill, Herne Hill and Loughborough Junction, Kennington, Myatt’s Field, Oval, St. Martin’s, Stockwell East, Stockwell West and Larkhall, Streatham Hill West and Thornton, Streatham Wells and West Dulwich. Together they cover every ward except Vauxhall and Waterloo & South Bank.
The licence is needed for any privately rented home let to a single-family household, or to no more than two unrelated sharers; houses in multiple occupation have their own licensing. From 1 April 2026 the fee is £1,025: £717.50 with the application and £307.50 once the licence is approved, with £50 off part B for an EPC rated C or better.
The documents: an annotated floor plan, and the EPC for the discount
Lambeth asks for, among other things, a Land Registry title for the freehold and leasehold dated within 28 days, a gas safety certificate, an electrical installation condition report with any C1 and C2 faults put right and certified, the current tenancy or management agreements naming everyone who lives there, and an annotated floor plan. The EPC goes in when you claim the discount for a C or better. The council chases missing documents, but if they are not provided within a reasonable time the application can be refused, and the part A fee is not refunded.
A laser-measured floor plan names and measures every room, so booking the EPC and floor plan together, from £123, covers the plan and the certificate in one visit. Not licensing a home that needs one is a criminal offence: Lambeth can prosecute, with an unlimited fine on conviction, or impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000 instead; tenants or the council can claim back up to 24 months’ rent, a banning order is possible, and a Section 8 notice may not succeed. Checked on the council’s selective licensing page on 22 October 2026; its ward checker and City Hall’s property licence checker confirm an address.
What the assessment looks at in a Lambeth home
How homes in Lambeth 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 70, band C, against 70 across London, and 58% of those homes are rated C or above (London 58%). Homes built before 1929 have a median of 65, against 84 for homes built since 2012; flats and maisonettes come out at 71, terraced houses at 66. How every London borough compares.
75.1% of Lambeth households live in a flat, and 20.6% in a flat in a converted house, almost twice the London share of 11.1%.
From Georgian Kennington to Victorian Brixton
Clapham runs from the large Queen Anne, Regency and Georgian homes of the Old Town and Clapham Common to the grids of Victorian housing around Abbeville; Cleaver Square in Kennington was laid out in 1788; Stockwell Park, now a conservation area, was mostly built between 1825 and 1840; and Brixton became a middle-class suburb between the 1860s and 1890s, with Angell Town laid out in the 1850s. Herne Hill’s terraced streets went up after its station opened. Many of these houses are now flats, and in a conversion the flat’s position and the age of each part — the original house, a rear extension, a loft room — are recorded separately, so building control certificates for later work are worth finding.
Streatham’s 1930s blocks and Lambeth’s estates
In the 1930s large numbers of blocks of flats were built along Streatham High Road, and Clapham, Stockwell and West Norwood all have council estates from the 1930s to the 1960s and later. 51.6% of Lambeth households live in a purpose-built block. In a block, the heating and the flat’s position matter most, so say whether the flat has its own boiler or shares a system when you book.
Selling in Lambeth
33.0% of Lambeth households own their home. If you are selling, the EPC must be ordered before the home goes on the market; the sellers’ guide covers the timing and whether an older certificate will still do.
Prices
- Domestic EPC from £69
- EPC + floor plan from £123, in one visit
- Floor plan only from £69
Guide prices by size: £69 up to 52 square metres, which covers most one-bedroom flats, £75 for two bedrooms and £85 from 71 to 95 square metres, then £90 up to 110. Confirmed in writing before you book. How EPC prices compare across London.
Common questions
Which Lambeth wards are outside selective licensing?
Only Vauxhall and Waterloo & South Bank. Phase 1 started on 2 September 2024 in four wards, and phase 2 covered the rest of the borough from 1 September 2025.
Does Lambeth want a floor plan with the licence application?
Yes. An annotated floor plan is on the council’s list of documents, with the Land Registry title, the gas and electrical certificates and the tenancy agreements. A laser-measured floor plan with every room named and measured costs from £69, or from £123 with an EPC.
Does a good EPC reduce the Lambeth licence fee?
Yes. An EPC rated C or better takes £50 off part B of the £1,025 fee. You send the EPC with the application to claim it.
What happens if I let without a Lambeth licence?
It is a criminal offence. The council can prosecute, with an unlimited fine on conviction, or impose a financial penalty of up to £40,000 instead; tenants or the council can claim back up to 24 months’ rent, and a Section 8 notice may not succeed.
How much is an EPC in Lambeth?
From £69 for a home of up to 52 square metres, which covers a typical one-bedroom flat, and £75 for two bedrooms, rising with floor area. The prices are the same anywhere in London, with no travel surcharge.
Nearby
Next door: Southwark, Wandsworth and Croydon, with Westminster across the river. I cover every London borough.