Richmond upon Thames
Verified local trades for Richmond upon Thames
London Heroes covers Richmond upon Thames 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 Richmond upon Thames
Mandatory HMO licensing applies across England. Richmond upon Thames may also operate additional or selective licensing.
- Selective licensing
- Not in operation. No selective licensing scheme is in force. The same council HMO Licensing Policy document states, verbatim: 'we do not intend to apply for new powers to introduce selective licensing for all private sector housing (including non HMOs) in designated areas... These additional powers are not necessary as there are no areas of low housing demand in the Borough and no problems with anti social behaviour.' As with the additional-licensing statement above, this is a first-hand council document but one that has not been visibly refreshed since 2014.
- Additional HMO licensing
- Not in operation. No additional licensing scheme is in force. Richmond's HMO licensing pages describe only the national mandatory scheme. The council's own HMO Licensing Policy document (still the current, live-linked policy from the council's HMO pages, though last substantively reviewed in 2014) states, verbatim: 'We do not intend to apply for additional discretionary powers to extend the licensing of all HMOs in a specific area... Such powers are not necessary in this Borough at present as there are no areas where several HMOs are linked to anti social behaviour.' This is a genuine, citable, first-hand council statement — but because the document has not been visibly refreshed in over a decade, if Richmond has quietly changed position since 2014 without updating it, this would not catch that.
Richmond operates mandatory HMO licensing only. A licence is required where the property has five or more occupiers comprising two or more separate households, is a house or self-contained flat (not a purpose-built flat in a block of three or more), occupants share amenities such as bathrooms or kitchens, at least one occupant pays rent or the accommodation is tied to employment, and it is the occupiers' main residence. Fees are charged in two parts: an application fee of £1,036 to £1,152 for 3-5 bedrooms and £1,210 to £1,442 for 6-10 bedrooms, plus a flat 'fee on grant of licence' of £675. So an ordinary single-family let in Richmond needs no licence at all — the opposite position to Newham or Redbridge. Landlords should re-check before acting, as licensing designations can be introduced with a few months' notice.
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 Richmond upon ThamesCouncil’s licensing pages before applying or paying.
What Richmond upon Thames is built of — and what that means for repairs
Richmond is an outer-suburban, low-density borough of Victorian and Edwardian terraces and semis, substantial detached villas and a large amount of interwar suburban housing in Whitton, Hampton and Heathfield, with comparatively little high-rise or large-estate stock. It has an unusually dense network of conservation areas: the council's own appraisals describe Central Richmond as 'predominantly Victorian', Teddington High Street as of 'traditional, predominantly Victorian and Edwardian character', and note that housing there is typically terraced or semi-detached, almost exclusively two storeys, often with an attic storey, built in stock and yellow brick with sash and casement windows. Large parts of the borough sit on the Thames floodplain.
Common repair issues in Richmond upon Thames
- Conservation-area and listed-building controls that restrict window replacement, roof materials, render and front-elevation changes — sash-window repair rather than uPVC replacement is often the only permitted route
- Solid-wall Victorian and Edwardian stock where external insulation is usually unacceptable on street elevations, pushing owners toward internal wall insulation with its condensation risks
- Thames and Crane floodplain exposure affecting basements, ground-floor works, drainage design and insurance
- Basement excavation and rear-extension work on large villas, with party-wall and structural implications
- Interwar semis in Whitton, Hampton and Heathfield with uninsulated or poorly retrofitted cavities and original steel windows
- Mature tree cover and clay soils causing seasonal subsidence and heave, with tree-preservation orders limiting the obvious remedy
Areas we cover in Richmond upon Thames
- Richmond
- Twickenham
- Teddington
- Kew
- Barnes
- East Sheen
- Hampton
- Whitton
Nearby boroughs
London Heroes covers every neighbouring borough the same way — verified trades, day or night.
Verified Heroes
Every Hero's identity, insurance and trade credentials are checked before they can take work — and expiry-tracked afterwards.
Live Hero Passport
See exactly which checks a Hero has passed, when we last checked, and when each credential expires.
Secure payments
Payments are handled through the platform with a full record of every transaction. No cash-in-hand ambiguity.
Local & accountable
A registered London company with a real complaints process — not an anonymous listings site.
Services in Richmond upon Thames
Ordered for what’s common in Richmond upon Thames’s housing — every service is available to book here, day or night.
Browse all servicesStraight answers for Richmond upon Thames
How do I find a verified plumber or electrician in Richmond upon Thames?
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 Richmond upon Thames 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 Richmond upon Thames?
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.
A trade professional in Richmond upon Thames?
Founding heroes get a live, public verification passport — identity, credentials and verified reviews on one page — plus payment-protected jobs at a straight 10%.