Your licensing blog for August

In our licensing blog this month, we round up all the latest licensing consultations and how to respond to them, as well as full details of all the new schemes coming into force from the capital to the north west.

Active consultations:

London Borough of Hackney

The council is proposing a new property licensing scheme for landlords across Hackney to raise standards in the private rented sector. The consultation questionnaire is available here.

The council is proposing:

• A borough-wide Additional HMO Licensing Scheme, covering Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), with three or four people from two or more households
• A Selective Licensing Scheme for privately rented properties occupied by one or two people, or a single-family household, in 17 out of 21 wards

Great Yarmouth Council

Great Yarmouth Borough Council has launched a wide-ranging public consultation as it considers proposals for a new scheme to license privately rented properties in the town.

The council's cabinet recently voted to pursue plans for a selective licensing scheme that aims to help ensure people have homes that are healthy, safe and efficient.

The consultation runs until 1 September and has been designed to be convenient for people to provide their thoughts in a variety of ways.

There will be a drop-in session at the Town Hall in Great Yarmouth and everyone is welcome, with no need to book in advance. It takes place on Tuesday 12 August, from 5.30pm until 7.30pm.

In addition, there is an online focus group for landlords and agents on Friday 8 August, 12.30pm-1.30pm. To attend, you can register by emailing [email protected].

You can also have your say via the online survey.

Woking Borough Council

Woking Borough Council has launched a consultation for borough wide additional licensing to improve housing conditions and safety in smaller HMOs. If approved, the scheme would start in January 2026. The proposed licence fee will be similar to what is currently charged for mandatory licensing, which starts at £880 with discounts for accreditation.

The consultation closes on 31 August. The consultation questionnaire and further information about the proposals can be found on the council’s website here.

Schemes coming into force:

London Borough of Enfield

The council has confirmed a new additional licensing scheme which will cover the entire borough. The new scheme will commence on 1 September and cease to end 1 September 2030.

The licence fee is set at £1,450, with discounts for accreditation and EPC rating of the property. Further information about the scheme is available via their email address: [email protected] or the council’s website

Westminster City Council

Westminster City Council has announced the implementation of a new selective licensing scheme for privately rented homes.

The new scheme, set to cover 15 of the city’s 18 wards, will apply to all privately rented properties excluding HMOs that are already covered under existing mandatory and additional licensing schemes.

The scheme will be rolled out over two ‘designations’.

• Designation 1 consists of eight wards experiencing high levels of poor housing conditions - Abbey Road, Church Street, Harrow Road, Knightsbridge and Belgravia, Little Venice, Maida Vale, Queen’s Park and Westbourne.
• Designation 2 consists of seven wards experiencing both high levels of poor housing conditions and significant and persistent problems caused by anti-social behaviour - Bayswater, Hyde Park, Lancaster Gate, Marylebone, Pimlico North, Regent’s Park and West End.

The scheme will come into force 24 November. Further information is available on the council’s website.

London Borough of Camden

The council has confirmed a new additional licensing scheme which will cover the entire borough. The new scheme will come into force on 8 December this year and end on 8 December 2030.

The licence fee starts at £1,383, with discounts available for accreditation. More information about the scheme can be found on the council’s website and via their email address: [email protected]

Wirral Council

The council has confirmed a new selective licensing scheme will come into force 1st October. The designation will cover the following areas:

• Birkenhead Central
• Lower Tranmere
• Tranmere North
• Hamilton Square B
• Tranmere Lairds
• Egremont South

The licence fee is set at £605, with discounts for accreditation, EPC rating of the property and multiple property discount. More information about the scheme can be found on the council’s website and via their email address: [email protected]

Thurrock Council

The council has confirmed a new additional licensing scheme which will cover the entire borough. The new scheme will come into force 7 September and end 6 August 2030. The licence fee is set at £1,000. For further information about the scheme and how to apply can be found on the council’s website

London Borough of Lambeth

The council’s second phase of selective licensing will commence 1 September. The second phase will cover the following wards:

• Brixton Acre Lane
• Brixton North
• Brixton Rush Common
• Brixton Windrush
• Clapham Common and Abbeville
• Clapham East
• Clapham Park
• Clapham Park
• Clapham Town
• Gipsy Hill
• Herne Hill and Loughborough Junction
• Kennington
• Myatt’s Field
• Oval
• St. Martin’s
• Stockwell East
• Stockwell West and Larkhall
• Streatham Hill West and Thornton
• Streatham Wells
• West Dulwich

The licence fee is set at £923, with discounts available for accreditation and EPC rating for the property.

Further information about the second phase of selective licensing in Lambeth can be found on the council’s website and via their email address: [email protected]