This month we launched NRLA Licensing Support.
The exclusive service for members is powered by data company Kamma, and members can use the Kamma platform to check whether there are any licensing requirements relating to their property.
Read more about this useful service here.
In other licensing news, this month Westminster City Council revised a property licensing scheme that came into effect on 30 August 2021.
Following a review of the impact of Covid19 on Westminster’s economy, the Council made the decision to withdraw the requirement for Section 257 HMOs to be licensed under the Additional Licensing Scheme.
This means that as part of this licensing scheme, landlords of Section 254 HMOs are still required to apply for a licence to rent out their property, but landlords of Section 257 do not need to.
‘Section 257 HMOs are buildings that:
1. Have been converted into self-contained flats; and
2. Have undergone conversions that did not comply with the relevant Building Regulations at that time and still do not comply; and
3. Have owner-occupiers in fewer than two-thirds of the flats
More information on this can be read on Westminster Council’s website.
The NRLA aims to respond to all local authority licensing consultations, and guidance on how landlords can also respond to consultations themselves is available as part of our licensing toolkit, exclusively for members. Some of the councils currently consulting on licensing are listed below.
Current licensing consultations
Birmingham City Council – selective licensing (closes 4th Jan 2022)
Birmingham City Council recently launched a consultation on plans to introduce a large selective licensing scheme in the city. Due to the size of the proposed scheme, approval from the Government is required before it can be given the green light. The consultation will run for a number of months, and landlords can read the details of the proposals and respond directly here.
Lewisham -selective licensing (closes with 5th Jan 2022)
Lewisham Council is proposing the introduction of selective property licensing for landlords in parts of Lewisham. The areas are:
Designated Area One: Brockley, Lewisham Central, New Cross, Rushey Green, Catford South and Perry Vale
Designated Area Two: Evelyn, Ladywell, Lee Green, Sydenham, Crofton Park
Designated Area Three: Bellingham, Downham, Forest Hill, Grove Park and Whitefoot
To find out more and respond to the consultation, click here.