Warwick council is the latest to launch an Additional Licensing Scheme - it came into force just before last weekend.
The district wide scheme requires landlords with houses, converted flats or purpose-built flats (including student accommodation) occupied by three or more persons living as two or more households to obtain an HMO licence in order to continue to operate.
In advance of the new rules, many HMO landlords who are known to the council have already received a licensing pack. Landlords who have not received a pack are advised to contact the Private Sector Housing team to register their details.
Since January 1 the council has been inviting landlords to make their HMO licence applications with ‘early bird’ discounted fees available to those who submit them in full by March 14.
Any landlord whose HMO has been in continuous operation from January 18 should ensure that they have applied for a licence by July 18. Enforcement action will be taken by the Private Sector Housing team in the autumn for landlords who have failed to obtain a licence.
Landlords who do not wish to continue to operate their properties as HMOs can apply for Temporary Exemption Notices if they are able to bring the HMO use to an end within an agreed timeframe. Those landlords are advised to discuss individual cases with the Private Sector Housing team.
A council spokesperson says: “We are encouraged by the number of new applications for an HMO licence that have already been received. Landlords needing any support or guidance on the new rules and clarity on their responsibilities should contact the Private Sector Housing team who are here to help.”
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I do wonder what will happen to all these scams when the national scheme comes in 🤔🤔 , oh silly me 😂 they will continue 💵💵🫣🫣
The thing is so many on this Platform have repeatedly said how scared they are of labour getting in.
Hello isn’t it labour that introduced those Policy’s in the 2004 Act. 2 jags John Prescott labour up and at him the egg thrower. So it’s Labour Policy the Conservative’s have been implementing and worse.
Suppose labour had got re-elected it wouldn’t be nearly as bad now because they would not have gotten away with what to Conservative did to us and we supposed them.
We know they wouldn’t have given big Companies a free reins unlike now or re-introduced sitting Tenants they got well stuffed with that one before.
Warwick is Conservative so it’s not Labour introducing it.
The Conservatives haven’t been the landlord’s friend. I am beginning to think they wish to eliminate the smaller landlords and let the corporates take over. This is what happened with care homes in the early 1990’s. Strict regulations regarding room sizes were introduced and then later relaxed I understand. Now we have a crisis with care homes and their charges have escalated.
They haven't been conservatives for some time.
" I am beginning to think they wish to eliminate the smaller landlords and let the corporates take over." Took a while for that penny to drop, Margaret.
"Landlords who do not wish to continue to operate their properties as HMOs can apply for Temporary Exemption Notices if they are able to bring the HMO use to an end within an agreed timeframe."
Just how are they going to do that without s21?
And if the Lld re-lets to a single person after removing a couple (to get under the three or more people in 2 or more households rule) how is a landlord without the threat of s21 going to make sure the new single person doesn't bring in a friend/partner, or a single mother have a baby (even if the father doesn't move in, the baby presumably counts as a person)?
The Warwick scheme is to apply to "landlords with houses, converted flats or purpose-built flats". I've seen a south coast authority introduce a HMO scheme in its poorest housing standard Wards, and only for properties converted to flats with the Building regs. approval not being after a certain date (so older conversions to lower Regulations standards).
But 'mission creep' will probably extend these limits.
Looks like Llds with converted flats, or even purpose built flats in Warwick (can't see any justification for that, even if one might for older conversions) might want to look at selling up just to avoid licencing bureaucracy and fees.
Or have I got this wrong?
It just goes to show how disjointed we are as a nation. Scotland has had mandatory HMO licensing since October 2000!
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