As part of a drive to improve standards in the private rented sector and clamp down on rogue landlords, Barnet Council will be introducing Additional Licensing requirements for Houses in Multiple Occupation from July 5.
As part of a drive to improve standards in the private rented sector and clamp down on rogue landlords, Barnet Council will be introducing Additional Licensing requirements for Houses in Multiple Occupation from July 5.
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) include houses or flats which are occupied by more than one family with some tenants sharing, or lacking a facility such as a toilet, kitchen or a bathroom. Certain blocks of self‑contained flats can also be classified as HMOs if they have been poorly converted and do not meet the Building Regulations 1991.
Licences help to protect the health and safety of the tenants and reduce the impact that HMOs can have on local neighbourhoods. They will also ensure that only suitable landlords have control of HMOs and that these properties are managed properly.
Councillor Richard Cornelius Leader of the Council said:
“Barnet now has the highest population of all the London boroughs, with further growth expected over the coming years.
There is no doubt that well managed HMOs have an important role to play in helping meet our housing needs.
“From research we know though that people living in HMOs can be vulnerable and at increased risk of being exploited by landlords. Our recent survey of people living in HMOs was a cause for concern.”
“For these reasons we are taking action to help drive-up standards of HMOs across the private rented sector to encourage good landlords and crack down on rogue landlords who expose their tenants to unnecessary health and safety risks though sub-standard accommodation.”
The changes will extend the current licensing scheme to most HMOs that are two or more storeys high and occupied by four or more people who are not all related and share facilities. Larger properties converted into self-contained flats may also require a licence. HMO Landlords are encouraged to check if the new changes affect them online and to apply for a licence where necessary.
Earlier this year the Council implemented changes to planning permission which meant any conversions to an HMO anywhere in Barnet now require planning approval.
These latest changes follow a string of enforcement action taken by the Council in relation to poorly managed HMOs, which has resulted in several successful prosecutions with fines of in excess of £200,000. Including a case where a landlady was fined for failing to have a licence for HMO that was poorly managed and another case where a landlord was fined £25,000 for leaving tenants at risk of dying in a fire. Most recently a rogue estate agent was even sentenced to prison for stealing thousands of pounds worth of deposits from tenants and landlords following a successful case brought about by the Council’s trading standards team.