Your licensing update for February
It’s been a busy month for licensing.
This month, Greenwich Council in London announced it will be going back to the drawing board with its additional licensing consultation, following complaints by the NRLA that the initial consultation was unlawful.
You can read more about that here, but, in short, the council has now confirmed that following feedback from stakeholders - including the NRLA - they will relaunch the consultation - with the additional paperwork required.
In other licensing news, the NRLA responded to property licensing consultations in Redbridge and Middlesborough in January and a number of schemes were given the go ahead.
In Birmingham an additional licensing scheme was given the green light. The city-wide scheme will come into force on the June 5 this year. Read more here. For more licensing news, make sure you are registered with NRLA Licensing Support, powered by Kamma Data for all the latest updates.
Current property licensing consultations
A number of new consultations have also been launched, with the NRLA responding to all. These include:
Tower Hamlets: Additional HMO licensing (Closes 31st March 2023)
Tower Hamlets Council is consulting in relation to a proposed a new five-year borough-wide additional licensing scheme. If approved, the proposed scheme would start at the end of the current scheme (April 2024). This proposal extends to the areas of Weavers, Whitechapel, Spitalfields and Banglatown, which were excluded from the current scheme. Have your say on the plans here.
Greenwich: Additional HMO licensing (Closes 24th March)
As earlier mentioned in this blog, Greenwich has relaunched its consultation on an additional licensing scheme.
The Royal Borough of Greenwich ran an Additional HMO (house in multiple occupation) licensing scheme across the borough from 1 October 2017 to 30 September 2022. The Council is now considering the option of a further scheme for the next five years, starting from summer 2023. Have your say on the plans here.
Cardiff
An additional licensing consultation is set to launch in February. Keep an eye out on our news channels for more information about this.
Learn more
This is not an exhaustive list. Make sure you are registered with NRLA Licensing Support, powered by Kamma Data for all the latest information.
If you need assistance when it comes to responding to a consultation, you can learn more in our licensing toolkit, exclusive for NRLA members. The toolkit will help you understand the many definitions associated with licensing and Article 4 directions, and how to respond to consultations.
Council tax consultation - Manchester City Council
In addition to licensing schemes, Manchester City Council has now launched a consultation on changes to council tax, including plans to double the council tax landlords pay between tenants. Under the plans they will:
• Increase general council tax by 2.99%
• Reducing the time period until an empty and unfurnished home is charged a 100% council tax premium to 1 year down from two years currently
• Introduce a 100% premium on council tax for empty, furnished properties during any period they are empty, this will include second homes and any void periods between tenants
The NRLA will be responding to their consultation, and landlords in Manchester may also wish to respond. The consultation closes on 7th February. Have your say here.
