Your licensing update for July

In this month's blog, we round up all the latest licensing consultations, along with details on how you can respond to them, as well as information on all the new schemes coming into force.  

Active consultations: 

The London Borough of Hackney - selective and additional licensing consultation 

The council is proposing to 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 of 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 - selective licensing consultation 

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 1st September and will include drop-in sessions at the Town Hall in Great Yarmouth. Everyone is welcome, with no need to book in advance. 

The sessions take place on: 

·       Wednesday, 25th June, from 2pm until 4pm 

·       Wednesday, 16th July, from 5.30pm until 7.30pm 

·       Tuesday, 12th August, from 5.30pm until 7.30pm 

Have your say via the online survey 

Schemes coming into force: 

London Borough of Wandsworth  

The council has confirmed that new selective and additional licensing schemes will come into force on the 1st July and will end on 30th June, 2030.  

The selective licensing designation one will cover the following wards:  

• Furzedown  

• South Balham  

• Tooting Bec  

• Tooting Broadway 

• A selective licence fee has not been advertised on the council’s website which the NRLA sought clarity on. The council said it was unable to confirm what the fee will be or when the licence application process will go live, but said further information will be available on the council’s website soon.  

The additional licensing scheme will apply borough-wide. The licence fee will start at £1,647 for a three-household property, and increase the more households live there.

Landlords will need to contact the council for further information can email: [email protected] or the council’s website 

London Borough of Enfield

The council has confirmed a new additional licensing scheme which will cover the entire borough. The new scheme will start on 1st September and end on 1st September, 2030.  

The licence fee is set at £1,450, with discounts available for accredited landlords.

Further information about the scheme is available by emailing: [email protected] or the council’s website 

Westminster City Council - confirmed selective licensing scheme  

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 one 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 two 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. 

For more information contact [email protected] 

The NRLA sought clarity on the proposed cost of the scheme but did receive a reply.