Your licensing update for November
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.
Active consultations:
Mansfield District Council
Mansfield District Council have recently launched a consultation to introduce selective licensing to the borough. The purpose of the scheme according to the council is to improve housing standards, address anti-social behaviour and enhance property management. The proposed scheme, the council states, will work alongside Mansfield’s housing strategy, which aims to enhance health, wellbeing, community safety and economic growth by upgrading poor-quality PRS homes and target rogue landlords
The proposed licence fee is expected to range between £650 and £800 per property within the designated areas.
The consultation will run until 16th December 2024. Further information about the scheme can be found on the council’s website: https://www.mansfield.gov.uk/selectivelicensing
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council have recently launched a selective licensing consultation to extend selective licensing in the city. The proposed areas will cover parts of Armley, Beeston, Holbeck, Cross Green, East End Park, Hunslet and Harehills.
The main aim of this selective licensing scheme is to improve the management and quality of PRS properties in the proposed area, as well as contribute to a reduction of deprivation in the area.
The proposed licence fee is £1,100 per licence, with discounts available for accredited landlords. The consultation will run until 13th December 2024. Landlords who wish to view the proposals and complete the landlord online survey can find further information on the council’s website: https://www.leeds.gov.uk/consultations-and-feedback/selective-licensing-consultation
Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council have launched consultation to introduce selective licensing in the borough covering 15 wards. The proposed scheme has two designations. The first designation will apply to 8 wards on the basis of poor housing conditions:
- Abbey Road
- Church Street
- Harrow Road
- Knightsbridge & Belgavia
- Little Venice
- Maida Vale
- Queen’s Park
- Westbourne
The second designation will apply to a further seven wards:
- Bayswater
- Lancaster Gate
- Marylebone
- Pimlico North
- Regent’s Park
- West End
- Hyde Park
The council states that the PRS properties in these wards are suffering from high levels of serious hazards above the national average and high levels of anti-social behaviour. These two designations constitute a single scheme that would come into force on the same date.
The proposed licence fee is £995 per licence, with discounts available for accredited landlords and charity properties housing vulnerable occupants.
The consultation will run for just under 12 weeks from 28th October 2024 to 19th January 2025. Further information on this scheme and to respond can be found on the council’s website: https://selectivelicensing.commonplace.is/
Salford City Council
Salford City Council has recently launched a consultation to introduce another selective licensing designation in the city. The proposed designation would cover parts of Broughton and Kersal. These areas were previously under selective licensing from 2016 to 2021. The council is introducing the scheme based on low demand, anti-social behaviour and poor property conditions.
The proposed licence fee is £450 for landlords who make a valid application before the start date or within the first 3 months of the scheme. There are discounts available for accredited landlords and early bird applications.
The consultation will run for 12 weeks from 28th October 2024 to 20th January 2025. Landlords who wish to provide feedback and read the proposals can find the relevant information on the council’s website: https://www.salford.gov.uk/housing/information-for-landlords/landlord-licensing/selective-licensing-proposal-in-broughton-and-kersal/
Thurrock Council
Thurrock council is consulting on the introduction of a borough wide additional licensing scheme for the area.
The council wants to introduce this scheme on the basis of improving management and property conditions within affected HMOs.
The proposed fee for an additional licence is £1670.
The consultation will close on 15th November 2024. Landlords who wish to provide feedback and have their say can find the relevant information on the council’s website: https://consult.thurrock.gov.uk/hmo-licensing-24
Schemes coming into force:
Coventry City Council
Coventry City Council recently approved to renew the borough wide additional licensing scheme for the city. The council consulted earlier on this year and approval was granted on 7th October 2024, with the designation coming into force on 4th May 2025 and ending on 3rd May 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 London Borough of Barking and Dagenham have recently approved a borough wide additional licensing scheme. It will come into force on 9th January 2025 and ending on 8th January 2030.
The scheme will apply to small HMOs that are occupied by 3 or 4 people who fall outside the scope of mandatory HMO licensing.
The licence fee is £1400 per licence, with discounts available via silver and gold compliance awards.
Applications for licences will open on 9th December 2024. Further information will be available on the council’s website in due course: https://www.lbbd.gov.uk/private-sector-housing/licensing
London Borough of Bexley
The London Borough of Bexley have recently approved a selective licensing scheme which will come into force 13th January 2025 and cease on 12th January 2030. The designation covers the Belvedere Ward.
The licence fee is £800 per licence, with discounts available for any properties that were licensed when the previous selective licensing scheme ended in August 2023, providing they apply within 3 months of the new scheme coming into force.
Online applications for the licensing scheme will open from 5th November 2024. For further information about the scheme and if the scheme applies to your property, details are available on the council’s website: https://www.bexley.gov.uk/services/housing/property-licensing/property-licensing-schemes/designation-notice-selective-licensing
