However, with these changes now in force, the Bective agency claims it's likely that the number of HMOs within the borough will spike, despite rising demand. Less landlords means less stock, and less stock means higher rent prices. Sources - ons. Want to comment on this story? If so Please confirm you wish to report this comment as abuse.
We value your safety and feedback. A moderator will review your report. With landlords under pressure to fund ever-stricter energy efficiency requirements, a Shelter claims that , children living in privately rented homes are at risk of being evicted this winter — equivalent to one Breaking News.
By Graham Norwood. HMRC Tax Changes under the spotlight in free webinar for landlords An accountancy firm is holding a free webinar for landlords and other property investors to Hundreds of complaints about landlords - only TWO worth prosecuting A council has admitted that it had received literally hundreds of complaints about landlords, and Charities want insulation boost for poorer tenants An alliance of 25 major charities have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Boris Johnson dodges question on timing of rental reform Prime Minister Boris Johnson has dodged a question from an MP about the timing of Friend Name.
Friend Email. Subscribe to comments. What is a HMO? What is Property Licensing? Why is Property Licensing important? Work in the property business? Related Posts. Two new landlord licensing schemes in the London Borough of Islington.
Kensington and Chelsea council start consultation on second HMO licence. This site uses cookies: Find out more. The government have decided to exclude purpose built self-contained flats within a block comprising three or more self-contained flats from the mandatory HMO licensing scheme. While this will be good news for some landlords, it does make the licensing scheme far more complicated. To find out more, you can read our free guide to mandatory HMO licensing here.
The additional licensing scheme came into force on 30 August and will continue for five years. In an unexpected move, the council partially revoked their scheme designation on 1 October The scheme applies to almost all HMOs in the City of Westminster, so that includes all properties shared by three or more people who are not all related and share facilities.
These are properties that:. The council simplified things slightly by excluding section HMOs consisting solely of two flats where neither flat is above or below commercial premises. They also excluded section HMOs where the flats share no internal or external common parts and are no more than two storeys in height.
Registered charities that provide accommodation solely for vulnerable persons are not charged a fee when they apply for a licence. The fees we have listed were correct as of October but could be subject to change in the future.
If you need assistance with your licence application, you can find companies offering a licence application handling service in our Landlord Suppliers Directory here. Whilst we do handle some applications, we have limited capacity and specialise in more complex cases where we provide our clients with expert advice and assistance. It is important to remember that submitting a licence application is only the start of the licence approval process.
To help landlords understand what happens next, we have published a free guide here. The standards cover a range of issues such as kitchen, bathroom and toilet facilities, fire precautions, heating, lighting, ventilation and room sizes. It is important to note that new absolute minimum bedroom sizes for licensed HMOs have been introduced for HMO licence applications approved on or after 1 October The council can still ask for larger minimum sizes.
By April the number had fallen slightly to , by May there were and by July there were licensed HMOs according to their public register.
In May , the council told us they had licensed HMOs. However, when we checked the public register in December , the number had dropped to licensed HMOs. Every council must have a public register of licensed HMOs. The City of Westminster register can be viewed online here. In May , the City of Westminster told us they estimated there were about Houses in Multiple Occupation that needed licensing under the mandatory HMO licensing scheme. In June , the council estimated that about 9, HMOs will need to be licensed under the new additional licensing scheme.
Ignore the law and you could pay a heavy price. You risk being prosecuted by the Council and if found guilty you could get a criminal record, be fined an unlimited amount and ordered to pay court costs and a victim surcharge. You could also be subject to a Rent Repayment Order and may have to repay up to 12 months rental income. And following a successful prosecution, you would probably fail a fit and proper person assessment, making it very difficult for you to obtain a property licence in the future.
The City of Westminster told us they took four housing prosecutions over the three year period from April to March In January , they told us there were accredited landlords in the City of Westminster, which was the 10th highest out of all London boroughs.
By January , there were accredited landlords, by January there were accredited landlords, by January there were accredited landlords and by January there were accredited landlords, which is slightly above average when compared to all the London boroughs. To find out more about becoming accredited, you can visit the London Landlord Accreditation Scheme website here.
In addition to training and development, accredited landlords are entitled to various benefits, including discounted licensing fees in some boroughs. If you are not already a member, we would encourage you to think about joining! In March the City of Westminster told us they were carrying out a scoping exercise to investigate the links between anti-social behaviour and the private rented sector. They said that the exercise would help to ascertain if there was a need for a selective licensing scheme.
In October , the council told us they had decided not to move forwards with plans for a selective licensing scheme but were keeping open the option of an additional licensing scheme. Things changed again in September when the council published their draft strategy aimed at raising standards for private tenants. One of their proposals was to introduce an additional licensing scheme covering all HMOs. A borough wide additional licensing scheme was approved at the full council meeting on 21 April read here - see agenda item 11 and came into force on 30 August All changed again on 23 September when the Cabinet Member decided to partially revoke the scheme by removing all section HMOs from licensing read here.
The partial revocation came into force on 1 October There is a lot happening in Westminster, so we will monitor the situation closely and keep you posted with any further news.
You will need planning permission if you are changing your property from a single-family property to a house in multiple occupation HMO occupied by more than six people. You will also need planning permission if you a splitting up a property into smaller self-contained units of accommodation. For small HMOs, the rules are a bit more complicated. HMOs occupied and shared by between three and six people fall into planning use class C4 whereas single-family properties fall into planning use class C3.
This means that you do not need planning permission for a change of use from a single-family property use class C3 to a small HMO shared by three to six unrelated residents use class C4 , although the situation could change in the future.
Remember that this is only intended as general advice and no liability can be accepted for any reliance upon information provided. We certainly can. We understand the challenges of being a private landlord and so we have developed a Landlord Suppliers Directory to provide you with access to the goods and services you need.
The Directory concentrates on businesses that operate in the London area. Whether you a looking for a letting agent, want a property inventory for a new tenancy or fire risk assessment, we have got it covered — and far more besides! As the leading experts in property licensing, we also offer a range of services ourselves.
From handling the licence application process to advice on new HMO developments, we can help to ensure your property business remains compliant. If you need assistance, please drop us a line and see if we can help!
0コメント