Your licensing update for January
Licensing Bulletin January
In our licensing blog this month, we round up active licensing consultations that we would encourage private landlords to respond to as well as schemes coming into force in the future. There is news of some active consultations in the north and south of England, as well as some active schemes.
Active consultations:
Rotherham Council
Rotherham council is consulting on the future of selective licensing in the borough to renew and expand their current licensing scheme.
The council has proposed six areas:
- Brinsworth
- Dinnington
- Rotherham Town Centre/Eastwood
- Masbrough
- Parkgate
- Thurcroft
The council state that further selective licensing would give them resources to ensure that all the private rented properties in the area are safe, in good condition and managed well.
The proposed standard licence fee is £995 per property, with discounts available for licences where the applicant received a ‘better management rebate’ in the 2020-2025 scheme.
The consultation will close on March 17th and further information about the proposals and how to respond can be found on the council’s website:
https://www.rotherham.gov.uk/consultation-feedback/selective-licencing-consultation-2025-2030
The London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is proposing to expand selective licensing and to renew their current borough-wide additional licensing scheme for a further five years.
The council want to expand selective licensing to the following nine wards:
- Barnsbury
- Caledonian
- Tufnell Park
- Mildmay
- Highbury
- Junction
- Laycock
- Canonbury
- Clerkenwell
The council state that property licensing helps them regulate the condition and management of private rented properties in the borough, help reduce other problems caused by poorly managed privately rented properties such as anti-social behaviour and waste management issues.
The proposed licence fees for selective licensing are £800 per licence, with discounts available for accreditation, multiple properties and high EPC ratings. Proposed additional licensing fees are £900 per licence, with discounts also available for accreditation.
The consultation closes on April 13th 2025 and further details about the proposals and to submit feedback to the consultation can be found on the council’s website:
https://www.letstalk.islington.gov.uk/renting
Southampton City Council
Southampton City Council are proposing to designate an additional HMO licensing scheme to cover nine wards in the city. All properties in the proposed areas which are occupied by three or more people who form two or more households will be required to apply for a licence under the proposals.
The proposed scheme will cover:
- Banister
- Polygon
- Bevois
- Bargate
- Portswood
- Swaythling
- Bassett
- Freemantle
- Shirley
- Millbrook
It is not immediately clear what the proposed licence fees are, so the NRLA will be seeking clarity with the council and will provide further information in due course.
The consultation closes on Wednesday February 26th, with further information about the plans and how to respond available on the council’s website:
Wirral Council
Wirral council are consulting on plans to expand selective licensing to 6 new areas of the borough. The proposed areas are:
- Birkenhead Central
- Lower Tranmere
- Tranmere North
- Hamilton Square B
- Tranmere Lairds
- Egremont South
The areas have been identified using research from the council’s intelligence service which identified key areas which had the poorest levels of property condition, higher than average levels of private rented stock, and low housing demand.
The proposed licence fee will be based on actual costs of administering the scheme with discounts available for landlords on applications made during the first three months of the scheme for each property, landlords with multiple properties and existing accreditation with the council or a national landlord association.
Landlords who will be required to have a licence as part of the scheme will have access to numerous benefits which will include free tenancy support service, free bulky waste collections and free healthy home visits.
The consultation will end on March 10th and further information about the proposals and to submit feedback to the consultation can be found on the council’s website:
https://haveyoursay.wirral.gov.uk/selective-licensing-2025-2030
Schemes coming into force:
Waltham Forest
The London Borough of Waltham Forest has recently been granted permission by the Secretary of State to proceed with a large-scale selective licensing scheme to come into force next year.
The scheme will cover 20 wards in the borough, excluding Hatch Lane & Highams Park North and Endlebury. The scheme will apply to all houses or individual flats that are privately rented and occupied by a single household or by no more than two unrelated persons unless is subject to any statutory exemption.
The scheme will come into force on May 1st 2025 and cease to have effect on March 31st 2030. The licence fee is £700 per property.
For further information about the scheme, the council’s property licensing team can be contacted via email: [email protected] or via telephone on 0208 496 4949
Newcastle City Council
Newcastle City Council have approved new selective and additional licensing schemes to come into force from next year in the city. The new selective licensing scheme will cover:
- Cowgate
- Howdene Road, part of Howlett Road
- Ravenburn Gardens
- Part of Swinley Gardens in Benwell
- West End
- Columbia Grange
- Denton Court
- Lemington
This scheme will come into force from April 5th 2025 and cease to have effect on April 5th 2030. This scheme has been renewed on the grounds of tackling anti-social behaviour according to the council.
The new additional licensing scheme will cover the entire city of Newcastle and will also come into force on April 5th 2025 and cease to have effect on April 5th 2030. Properties occupied by three or four people made up of two or more households and where people share facilities such as the kitchen or bathroom fall under this additional licensing scheme. The council state that there are persistent problems caused by anti-social behaviour and poor housing conditions with additional licensing aiming to improve the management of these properties.
Fees for a selective licence are £900 per licence, and £1000 for an additional licence. Discounts are available for accreditation and EPC ratings of C and above for the property.
For further information about the new schemes can be found on the council's website:
https://new.newcastle.gov.uk/property-licensing-schemes-newcastle/recent-consultations or via email: [email protected]
North Lincolnshire Council
North Lincolnshire council have approved a selective licensing scheme designation and shall come into force on March 20th 2025 and cease to have effect on March 19th 2030. The designation applies to Crosby & Park Town.
The licence fee is £955 per property for a five-year licence.
For further information about the scheme, the council can be contacted via email at [email protected] or via telephone on 01724 296051. The public notice designation can be found on the council’s website:
Coventry City Council
Coventry City Council have approved to renew the borough wide additional licensing scheme for the city. The council consulted earlier on this year and approval was granted on October 7th 2024, with the designation coming into force on May 4th 2025 and ending on May 3rd 2030.
The scheme will cover HMOs which are occupied by 3 or 4 occupiers and any HMO defined under section 257 of the Housing Act 2004.
The licence fee is based on certain eligibility criteria, and ranges from £820 per licence to £2070.
Landlords who need to contact the council for further information and to apply for a licence can either email the HMO licensing department: [email protected] or ring the department on 024 7697 5467.
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
The council have confirmed that a new selective licensing scheme which will cover three targeted designation areas in the borough. The scheme will run for five years, replacing the previous initiative, which ended in Summer 2024. The scheme will come into force on April 6th 2025.
There are three designations for this scheme:
Designation Area 1 will include:
- Alibon
- Barking Riverside
- Beam
- Becontree
- Chadwell Heath
- Eastbury
- Goresbrook
- Heath
- Longbridge
- Mayesbrook
- Parsloes
- Thames View
- Valence
- Village
- Whalebone
Designation Area 2 will include:
- Abbey
- Gascoigne
- Northbury
Designation Area 3 will include:
- Eastbrook
- Rush Green
Licence fees will be £950 per property, with discounts available for accreditation and satisfactory rating from compliance audit inspections.
Further information about the scheme and how to apply for licences can be found on the council’s website:
https://www.lbbd.gov.uk/private-sector-housing/property-licensing
Blackpool Council
Following Secretary of State approval, the council have confirmed that a selective licensing scheme will be coming into force in the inner area of Blackpool in a few months’ time. The scheme will cover the following areas of Blackpool:
- Bloomfield
- Brunswick
- Claremont
- Talbot
- Tyldesley
- Warbreck
- Waterloo
The scheme covers 11,000 privately rented properties and will come into force on April 1st 2025 and cease to end on March 31st 2030. Licence fees will start at £572 for landlords who meet the Blackpool Standard, with discounts available for applying within the first three months of the scheme and EPC rating A, B or C for the property.
Landlords who need to contact the council for further information about the scheme and how to apply can contact the council via email: [email protected] or telephone: 01253 477477. There is a interactive map available on the council’s website to check also if the scheme applies to their property:
https://www.b2lackpool.gov.uk/Your-Council/Voting-and-elections/Ward-map.aspx
Licensing Bulletin January
In our licensing blog this month, we round up active licensing consultations that we would encourage private landlords to respond to as well as schemes coming into force in the future. There is news of some active consultations in the north and south of England, as well as some active schemes.
Active consultations:
Rotherham Council
Rotherham council is consulting on the future of selective licensing in the borough to renew and expand their current licensing scheme.
The council has proposed six areas:
- Brinsworth
- Dinnington
- Rotherham Town Centre/Eastwood
- Masbrough
- Parkgate
- Thurcroft
The council state that further selective licensing would give them resources to ensure that all the private rented properties in the area are safe, in good condition and managed well.
The proposed standard licence fee is £995 per property, with discounts available for licences where the applicant received a ‘better management rebate’ in the 2020-2025 scheme.
The consultation will close on March 17th and further information about the proposals and how to respond can be found on the council’s website:
https://www.rotherham.gov.uk/consultation-feedback/selective-licencing-consultation-2025-2030
The London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is proposing to expand selective licensing and to renew their current borough-wide additional licensing scheme for a further five years.
The council want to expand selective licensing to the following nine wards:
- Barnsbury
- Caledonian
- Tufnell Park
- Mildmay
- Highbury
- Junction
- Laycock
- Canonbury
- Clerkenwell
The council state that property licensing helps them regulate the condition and management of private rented properties in the borough, help reduce other problems caused by poorly managed privately rented properties such as anti-social behaviour and waste management issues.
The proposed licence fees for selective licensing are £800 per licence, with discounts available for accreditation, multiple properties and high EPC ratings. Proposed additional licensing fees are £900 per licence, with discounts also available for accreditation.
The consultation closes on April 13th 2025 and further details about the proposals and to submit feedback to the consultation can be found on the council’s website:
https://www.letstalk.islington.gov.uk/renting
Southampton City Council
Southampton City Council are proposing to designate an additional HMO licensing scheme to cover nine wards in the city. All properties in the proposed areas which are occupied by three or more people who form two or more households will be required to apply for a licence under the proposals.
The proposed scheme will cover:
- Banister
- Polygon
- Bevois
- Bargate
- Portswood
- Swaythling
- Bassett
- Freemantle
- Shirley
- Millbrook
It is not immediately clear what the proposed licence fees are, so the NRLA will be seeking clarity with the council and will provide further information in due course.
The consultation closes on Wednesday February 26th, with further information about the plans and how to respond available on the council’s website:
Wirral Council
Wirral council are consulting on plans to expand selective licensing to 6 new areas of the borough. The proposed areas are:
- Birkenhead Central
- Lower Tranmere
- Tranmere North
- Hamilton Square B
- Tranmere Lairds
- Egremont South
The areas have been identified using research from the council’s intelligence service which identified key areas which had the poorest levels of property condition, higher than average levels of private rented stock, and low housing demand.
The proposed licence fee will be based on actual costs of administering the scheme with discounts available for landlords on applications made during the first three months of the scheme for each property, landlords with multiple properties and existing accreditation with the council or a national landlord association.
Landlords who will be required to have a licence as part of the scheme will have access to numerous benefits which will include free tenancy support service, free bulky waste collections and free healthy home visits.
The consultation will end on March 10th and further information about the proposals and to submit feedback to the consultation can be found on the council’s website:
https://haveyoursay.wirral.gov.uk/selective-licensing-2025-2030
Schemes coming into force:
Waltham Forest
The London Borough of Waltham Forest has recently been granted permission by the Secretary of State to proceed with a large-scale selective licensing scheme to come into force next year.
The scheme will cover 20 wards in the borough, excluding Hatch Lane & Highams Park North and Endlebury. The scheme will apply to all houses or individual flats that are privately rented and occupied by a single household or by no more than two unrelated persons unless is subject to any statutory exemption.
The scheme will come into force on May 1st 2025 and cease to have effect on March 31st 2030. The licence fee is £700 per property.
For further information about the scheme, the council’s property licensing team can be contacted via email: [email protected] or via telephone on 0208 496 4949
Newcastle City Council
Newcastle City Council have approved new selective and additional licensing schemes to come into force from next year in the city. The new selective licensing scheme will cover:
- Cowgate
- Howdene Road, part of Howlett Road
- Ravenburn Gardens
- Part of Swinley Gardens in Benwell
- West End
- Columbia Grange
- Denton Court
- Lemington
This scheme will come into force from April 5th 2025 and cease to have effect on April 5th 2030. This scheme has been renewed on the grounds of tackling anti-social behaviour according to the council.
The new additional licensing scheme will cover the entire city of Newcastle and will also come into force on April 5th 2025 and cease to have effect on April 5th 2030. Properties occupied by three or four people made up of two or more households and where people share facilities such as the kitchen or bathroom fall under this additional licensing scheme. The council state that there are persistent problems caused by anti-social behaviour and poor housing conditions with additional licensing aiming to improve the management of these properties.
Fees for a selective licence are £900 per licence, and £1000 for an additional licence. Discounts are available for accreditation and EPC ratings of C and above for the property.
For further information about the new schemes can be found on the council's website:
https://new.newcastle.gov.uk/property-licensing-schemes-newcastle/recent-consultations or via email: [email protected]
North Lincolnshire Council
North Lincolnshire council have approved a selective licensing scheme designation and shall come into force on March 20th 2025 and cease to have effect on March 19th 2030. The designation applies to Crosby & Park Town.
The licence fee is £955 per property for a five-year licence.
For further information about the scheme, the council can be contacted via email at [email protected] or via telephone on 01724 296051. The public notice designation can be found on the council’s website:
Coventry City Council
Coventry City Council have approved to renew the borough wide additional licensing scheme for the city. The council consulted earlier on this year and approval was granted on October 7th 2024, with the designation coming into force on May 4th 2025 and ending on May 3rd 2030.
The scheme will cover HMOs which are occupied by 3 or 4 occupiers and any HMO defined under section 257 of the Housing Act 2004.
The licence fee is based on certain eligibility criteria, and ranges from £820 per licence to £2070.
Landlords who need to contact the council for further information and to apply for a licence can either email the HMO licensing department: [email protected] or ring the department on 024 7697 5467.
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
The council have confirmed that a new selective licensing scheme which will cover three targeted designation areas in the borough. The scheme will run for five years, replacing the previous initiative, which ended in Summer 2024. The scheme will come into force on April 6th 2025.
There are three designations for this scheme:
Designation Area 1 will include:
- Alibon
- Barking Riverside
- Beam
- Becontree
- Chadwell Heath
- Eastbury
- Goresbrook
- Heath
- Longbridge
- Mayesbrook
- Parsloes
- Thames View
- Valence
- Village
- Whalebone
Designation Area 2 will include:
- Abbey
- Gascoigne
- Northbury
Designation Area 3 will include:
- Eastbrook
- Rush Green
Licence fees will be £950 per property, with discounts available for accreditation and satisfactory rating from compliance audit inspections.
Further information about the scheme and how to apply for licences can be found on the council’s website:
https://www.lbbd.gov.uk/private-sector-housing/property-licensing
Blackpool Council
Following Secretary of State approval, the council have confirmed that a selective licensing scheme will be coming into force in the inner area of Blackpool in a few months’ time. The scheme will cover the following areas of Blackpool:
- Bloomfield
- Brunswick
- Claremont
- Talbot
- Tyldesley
- Warbreck
- Waterloo
The scheme covers 11,000 privately rented properties and will come into force on April 1st 2025 and cease to end on March 31st 2030. Licence fees will start at £572 for landlords who meet the Blackpool Standard, with discounts available for applying within the first three months of the scheme and EPC rating A, B or C for the property.
Landlords who need to contact the council for further information about the scheme and how to apply can contact the council via email: [email protected] or telephone: 01253 477477. There is a interactive map available on the council’s website to check also if the scheme applies to their property:
https://www.b2lackpool.gov.uk/Your-Council/Voting-and-elections/Ward-map.aspx
