Kensington and Chelsea
Verified local trades for Kensington and Chelsea
London Heroes covers Kensington and Chelsea around the clock. Every professional is identity-checked by a human, has their credentials verified against evidence and watched for expiry, and every payment is held securely until you confirm the work is done.
Landlord licensing in Kensington and Chelsea
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England. Kensington and Chelsea may also operate additional or selective licensing.
- Selective licensing
- Not in operation. No selective licensing scheme is mentioned on the Royal Borough's HMO/licensing pages checked on 21 July 2026. The council's licensing content covers mandatory and additional HMO licensing only.
- Additional HMO licensing
- In operation. The Royal Borough operates a borough-wide additional HMO licensing scheme covering all HMOs defined by section 254 of the Housing Act 2004 that do not fall under mandatory licensing. In practice this means three or more people forming two or more households sharing facilities — typically shared houses and shared flats. The council's page states the scheme 'came into force on 1 June 2023'. The statutory designation notice, linked from that page, states verbatim: 'The Designation is made on 20th October 2022 and shall come into force on 1st June 2023... shall cease to have effect on 31st May 2028.'Coverage: Borough-wideDesignated: Made 20 October 2022; in force from 1 June 2023; ceases to have effect 31 May 2028 — per the statutory designation notice.
Fees are the same for mandatory and additional licences: the council's licence fees page states 'Part A: £1004' and 'Part B: £489' for up to five units, plus an 'Additional Room Fee: £72 per additional room'. A £200 reduction is available for accredited landlords (LLAS, NRLA or equivalent) and a £30 per-application reduction where more than three HMO applications share the same landlord and managing agent. Separately, the council's planning and building control page notes 'Our planning systems are back online as of 9 March 2026' following a cyber incident, so landlords and owners should expect that some historic online records may have been affected.
Checked against the council’s own pages on 21 July 2026. Licensing schemes are five-year designations that expire and get redesignated on their own timetables — always confirm on Kensington and ChelseaCouncil’s licensing pages before applying or paying.
What Kensington and Chelsea is built of — and what that means for repairs
Kensington and Chelsea is built largely of nineteenth-century stucco-fronted and brick terraces, garden squares and mews, together with early twentieth-century mansion blocks — a very high proportion of it listed or within conservation areas. Many of these large houses have long since been converted into flats, so the borough has an unusually high share of converted-flat stock. Alongside this the borough contains a significant amount of social housing, including post-war estates and high-rise blocks, particularly in the north of the borough.
Common repair issues in Kensington and Chelsea
- Solid-wall construction with no cavity, so damp and heat loss have to be addressed through internal or specialist breathable treatments rather than cavity fill
- Listed-building and conservation-area controls on windows, roofs, railings and facades, which constrain glazing upgrades and external insulation
- Converted flats with shared structure and services: sound transmission, party-wall issues, ageing communal soil stacks and unclear repairing responsibilities between leaseholders and freeholders
- Basement and vault damp, and the surveying/party-wall complexity of basement extension works in tightly packed terraces
- Fire safety and building safety obligations in higher-risk residential buildings — remediation, fire doors, compartmentation and the duty-holder regime under the Building Safety Act — which are subject to close scrutiny in this borough
- Ageing communal heating, risers and lift installations in post-war estate blocks
- Stucco and render defects on period frontages requiring lime-based, breathable repair rather than modern cement render
Areas we cover in Kensington and Chelsea
- Notting Hill
- Chelsea
- South Kensington
- Earl's Court
- Ladbroke Grove
- North Kensington
- Holland Park
- World's End
- Brompton
Nearby boroughs
London Heroes covers every neighbouring borough the same way — verified trades, day or night.
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Services in Kensington and Chelsea
Ordered for what’s common in Kensington and Chelsea’s housing — every service is available to book here, day or night.
Browse all servicesStraight answers for Kensington and Chelsea
How do I find a verified plumber or electrician in Kensington and Chelsea?
Describe the job at londonheroes.co.uk/request. Every professional on London Heroes has passed a human-reviewed identity check, holds verified credentials (Gas Safe for gas work, competent-person scheme membership for electrical work, public liability insurance) displayed live on their public Hero Passport, and is monitored daily for credential expiry. London Heroes covers Kensington and Chelsea around the clock.
How does payment protection work on London Heroes?
You pay when you book, but the money is held securely and only released to the tradesperson when you confirm the work is complete. If something goes wrong before you confirm, raising a dispute freezes the money automatically while a named member of the team investigates — outcomes include partial or full refund. The platform fee is a transparent 10%, paid by the professional.
Are the tradespeople on London Heroes vetted?
Yes — and by a human, not an algorithm. Verification includes photographic ID, a selfie holding the document, business registration for limited companies, and evidence for every declared credential. A lapsed credential shows as expired on the professional's public Passport rather than being hidden, and reviews can only be written by clients of real, paid jobs.
What does it cost to use London Heroes in Kensington and Chelsea?
Nothing extra: you pay the professional's quoted price and no booking fees on top. The platform's 10% commission is paid by the professional out of the job price. Cancel before work starts and you receive a full refund.
Do landlords need a property licence in Kensington and Chelsea?
Kensington and Chelsea operates additional HMO licensing borough-wide until 31 May 2028. Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England regardless. Checked against Kensington and Chelsea Council’s own pages on 21 July 2026 — confirm on the council’s website before applying, as designations expire and are renewed on their own timetables.
A trade professional in Kensington and Chelsea?
Founding heroes get a live, public verification passport — identity, credentials and verified reviews on one page — plus payment-protected jobs at a straight 10%.