Ealing council in London is consulting over new five-year additional licensing for houses in multiple occupations (HMOs).
A national mandatory licensing scheme already covers most larger HMOs occupied by five or more people.
But additional licensing allows the council to require licences for smaller HMOs too.
Ealing currently has an additional HMO property licensing scheme which began in April 2022 and ends in March 2027.
The council is now seeking views an updated borough-wide scheme which would last five years, with a view to being introduced in April 2027.
The council’s evidence apparently identified concerns about conditions and management in some HMOs, including fire safety, overcrowding, disrepair, waste, and anti-social behaviour.
It claims that additional licensing allows the council to identify HMOs, inspect properties, set property conditions, and take enforcement actions against landlords or licence holders when they are not meeting their legal requirements or licence conditions.
The proposed scheme would:
- Require smaller HMOs occupied by three or four unrelated people to have a license;
- Introduce revised conditions relating to property management, waste, and anti-social behaviour;
- Support a commitment to inspections;
- Possible Section 257 coverage, to include certain buildings converted into self-contained that did not meet relevant building standards;
- Increase awareness in tenants on the minimum standards they should be expecting in rented accommodation;
- Increase awareness in landlords on their rights and responsibilities, with discounts for accredited landlords;
- Have no changes to additional fees.
