Licensing boom to continue as council’s crackdown on landlords

The boom in licensing schemes is set to continue as local councils step up the fight to improve the management and living conditions for tenants living in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO), new data reveals.

HMOs are properties, or part of a property, shared by three or more people who are not members of the same family. Tenants usually share at least one facility such a as kitchen, sink or toilet. It can also include shared flats within a larger building.

CRITICISM

But councils have come under heavy criticism for using the schemes as a cash grab to bolster their own coffers.

Six new licensing schemes have already started in 2024 with additional and selective schemes beginning in Luton this week and the year is on track to surpass 2023’s record of 32 new schemes, with 19 selective and additional licensing schemes and consultations taking place within the first four months of the year.

Research from Kamma reveals that already this year, six new licensing schemes have begun in Greenwich, Nottingham, Islington, Warwick, and Luton.

London takes the lead with active consultations starting in Haringey, Lambeth, Waltham Forest and most recently Bexley – all signalling a strong desire to implement new selective and additional licensing measures across the Capital.

FOURTEEN SCHEMES

Fourteen schemes are also set to end this year with a strong likelihood of scheme renewals. Earlier this week Coventry City Council said it will launch a 12-week consultation on proposals to renew its city-wide additional licensing scheme for HMOs.

The looming Renter’s Reform Bill and calls for landlords to discontinue selective licensing schemes makes it highly probable that councils will push to renew these measures before the passing of the bill.

The Neg revealed last month year how Newham council had issued its first ever banning order to a landlord letting out an unlicensed property as the council cracks down on non-compliant agents and landlords.

Orla Shields (main picture), Chief Executive of Kamma, says: “2024 is a pivotal year for property licensing in the UK.

“With a record number of new schemes and consultations, the landscape is shifting rapidly. Landlords and agents must be vigilant in ensuring that their properties are licensed.”