The Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety has submitted a report which provides the results from the consultation exercise carried out for the proposal to renew the HMO Licensing Scheme and seeks approval from members to designate the whole of the City as subject to additional licensing under section 56(1)(a) of the Housing Act 2004 in relation to the size and type of HMO specified in the recommendations of this report for 5 years commencing on the 10^th June 2021.

Recommendations:That Cabinet resolves to:

1.    Note the Executive summary report of the Consultation of Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) 2020 and note its findings attached at Appendix 1;

2.    Confirm that, having considered the report of the consultation along with the Review report: Additional HMO licensing scheme 2020 presented to the 9th September 2020 Cabinet meeting, an Additional HMO licensing scheme is required for a further 5 years commencing the 10th June 2021;

3.    Designate the whole of the City as subject to additional licensing under section 56(1) (a) of the Housing Act 2004 for all Houses in Multiple Occupation that contain three or four occupiers and all self-contained flats that are Houses in Multiple Occupation, irrespective of the number of storeys, but, so far as concerns section 257 Houses in Multiple Occupation, limit the designation to those that are mainly or wholly tenanted, including those with resident landlords;

4.    Delegate to the Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety the authority to sign and finalise the designation at Appendix 10;

5.    Recommend to Council to adopt the proposed fees and charges structure for both mandatory and additional HMO licences attached at Appendix 6; and

6.    Adopt the eligibility criteria for the new scheme as attached at Appendix 4 and Appendix 5 and delegate to the Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety the authority to add or remove accreditation schemes, in consultation with the Head of Law and Governance.

The Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety had submitted a report to provide the results from the consultation exercise carried out for the proposal to renew the HMO Licensing Scheme and seek approval from members to designate the whole of the City as subject to additional licensing under section 56(1)(a) of the Housing Act 2004 in relation to the size and type of HMO specified in the recommendations of this report for 5 years commencing on the 10^th June 2021.

Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning & Housing Delivery, introduced the report which simply sought agreement to the third five year cycle of the licensing scheme.

The Chair noted that this scheme, which had been subject to some controversy when it was originally launched, was now recognised to be of benefit to tenants and landlords alike.

Cabinet resolved to:

1.    Note the Executive summary report of the Consultation of Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) 2020 and note its findings attached at Appendix 1;

2.    Confirm that, having considered the report of the consultation along with the Review report: Additional HMO licensing scheme 2020 presented to the 9th September 2020 Cabinet meeting, an Additional HMO licensing scheme is required for a further 5 years commencing the 10th June 2021;

3.    Designate the whole of the City as subject to additional licensing under section 56(1) (a) of the Housing Act 2004 for all Houses in Multiple Occupation that contain three or four occupiers and all self-contained flats that are Houses in Multiple Occupation, irrespective of the number of storeys, but, so far as concerns section 257 Houses in Multiple Occupation, limit the designation to those that are mainly or wholly tenanted, including those with resident landlords;

4.    Delegate to the Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety the authority to sign and finalise the designation at Appendix 10;

5.    Recommend to Council to adopt the proposed fees and charges structure for both mandatory and additional HMO licences attached at Appendix 6; and

6.    Adopt the eligibility criteria for the new scheme as attached at Appendix 4 and Appendix 5 and delegate to the Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety the authority to add or remove accreditation schemes, in consultation with the Head of Law and Governance.