A scheme that claims to drive up the standards of rented housing will be renewed for another five years.

Worcester council has been running an additional licensing scheme for smaller Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) since 2015. 

The scheme requires landlords to meet required standards on fire safety measures, heating, repairs and more in their properties. It also helps to tackle issues raised by tenants and residents, including poor maintenance, unsafe gardens, and anti-social behaviour.

The licensing scheme has to be renewed every five years and was due to come to an end in September 2025 – but the council has gone ahead with a five year extension.

Councillor Jill Desayrah, vice-chair of Worcester council’s communities committee, says: “We know the majority of our landlords offer accommodation that meets the expected standards, but there are a few non-compliant operators out there and some tenants are afraid to speak up about them. 

“The HMO additional licensing scheme sets out the standards that have to be met and helps to give tenants the confidence to talk to the City Council. 

“That gives the Council further powers to take enforcement action when we need to, in order to continue to drive forward improvements to the quality of rented housing across the city.”

“Thank you to everybody who gave us their views about the scheme during the consultation stage. This feedback shows the Worcester community’s desire for better management and regulation of HMO properties.”

It is a national requirement for HMOs to be licensed if they have five or more occupants, forming two or more households and share one or more basic amenities, such as a toilet, washing facilities or a kitchen.

The additional licensing scheme, which has been running in Worcester since 2015, extends this to smaller HMOs where there are three or more occupants forming two or more households and also to many houses that have been converted into self-contained flats.

Since 2020, the council has asked for at least one improvement to meet the required standards in 40% of the 362 HMO properties in the city currently covered by the additional licensing scheme. In the same period, the Council issued notices to nine HMOs where the licensing standards had been breached. In three cases, civil penalties were issued to landlords because improvements were not made.