Your licensing update for February

Three local authorities are consulting on plans for new licensing schemes this month. Senior policy officer Samantha Watkin explains more about what's going on in your area.

Haringey Council  
 
The consultation for a repurposed additional licensing scheme is closing soon. Haringey Council is consulting on proposals to introduce another borough-wide scheme that will come into effect in May this year, subject to cabinet approval. If passed it will replace the current scheme in place in the borough.  

The council has said that by continuing with additional licensing it can continue to improve living conditions for residents living in HMO accommodation and ensure they have a better quality of life.  
 
Proposed licence fees start at £1,331 per licence, with discounts available if the landlord is accredited, or if the property has an EPC rating of C or above.  

Haringey wants to hear from landlords in response to the proposals, with further information on their website on how to respond and relevant documentation for the consultation available here. The consultation closes on Monday 12th February.  

Lambeth Council  
 
Lambeth Council is consulting on plans to introduce a selective licensing scheme in the borough. The proposed scheme would cover 23 out of 25 wards, implemented in two phases. Phase one would roll out the scheme in:  

  • Knights Hill 

  • Streatham Hill East  

  • Streatham Common & Vale  

  • Streatham St. Leonards  

Phase two would roll out the scheme in the rest of the proposed wards: 

  • Brixton Acre Lane  

  • Brixton North  

  • Brixton Rush Common 

  • Brixton Windrush  

  • Clapham Common and Abbeville  

  • Clapham East  

  • Clapham Park  

  • Clapham Town  

  • Gipsy Hill  

  • Herne Hill and Loughborough Junction  

  • Kennington  

  • Myatts Field  

  • Oval  

  • St. Martin’s  

  • Stockwell East  

  • Stockwell West and Larkhall  

  • Streatham Hill West and Thorton Ward  

  • Streatham Wells  

  • West Dulwich  

The council has said the proposed wards have 'significantly high numbers' of privately rented properties in poor condition.

The council has chosen to exclude the wards Vauxhall and Waterloo & South Bank, as it says the properties in these wards tend to be relatively new builds and, as a result, do not have the high levels of housing hazards seen in other others of the borough.  
 
The proposed fee is £923 per licence, with a discount available for landlords who are a member of either the NRLA, the London Landlord Accreditation Scheme (LLAS) or the UK Association of Letting Agents (UKALA).  
 
The consultation runs until Monday 4th March. Landlords can read more about the proposals and submit their responses on the council’s website here.

Sandwell Council  

Sandwell Council is currently consulting on plans to introduce a borough-wide additional licensing schemes for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

The council said it wants to extend the current additional licensing scheme to cover the whole borough in a bid to improve the local environment and housing conditions for privately rented properties overall.

The scheme would cover any other type of HMO in the area that does not fall under the existing mandatory licensing scheme, meaning that any HMO that is rented out by at least three people who are not from one household, but share facilities like the bathroom and kitchen, would need a licence.  

Sandwell Council said extending its current licensing scheme to cover all HMOs in the borough, will reduce property-related crime, anti-social behaviour and rubbish dumping, and will support good landlords and prevent rogue landlords from operating.  

The proposed fee is £938 per licence, with discounts available ranging from £55 to £165 if the landlord is member of the NRLA or Midland Landlord Accreditation Scheme.  
 
The consultation is open until Monday 18th March. Landlords can read more about the proposals and submit responses to the consultation on the council’s website here.

More information

The NRLA aims to respond to all property licensing consultations, and members can learn more about effectively responding to consultations in our free Licensing Toolkit.

The best way to keep up to date with licensing news and consultation information is by signing up to NRLA Licesning Support, a free member benefit, powered by our partner, Kamma Data.

Using Kamma, you can keep up to date with licensing regulations for up to 16 properties. Read the latest licensing update from Kamma by clicking here.