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Guidance on new UK landlords licensing and minimum standards for HMOs published

New guidance for landlords in the UK have been published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government with the aim of stamping out overcrowded lets.

From 01 October this year any landlord who lets a property to five or more people from two or more separate households must be licensed by their local housing authority.

It is estimated that the licencing change will affect around 160,000 houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Council will be able to take further action to crack down on the small minority of landlords renting out sub-standard and overcrowded homes.

New rules will also come into force setting minimum size requirements for bedrooms in HMOs to prevent overcrowding. Landlords will also be required to adhere to council refuse schemes, to reduce problems with rubbish.

An MHCLG guidance document sets out the details on extending mandatory licensing to smaller HMOs and introducing minimum bedroom sizes it has also launched a review to look at how selective licensing is used and find out how well it is working.

‘Everyone deserves a decent and safe place to live. Today’s new guidance for landlords will further protect private renters against bad and overcrowded conditions and poor management practice,’ said Housing Minister Heather Wheeler.

She explained that in areas where selective licensing applies, landlords must apply for a licence if they want to rent out a property. This means the council can check whether they are a ‘fit or proper person’ to be a landlord, as well as making other stipulations concerning management of the property and appropriate safety measures.

The review will see independent commissioners gather evidence from local authorities and bodies representing landlords, tenants and housing professionals. The review’s findings will be reported in spring 2019. There will be an update on progress in autumn this year.

Selective licensing allows local housing authorities to make it compulsory for all private rented accommodation in a specified area to have a licence.

The schemes are intended to deliver improved standards and safety in the private rented sector for areas suffering serious problems.

The guidance says that the private rented sector is an important part of the UK’s housing market, with 4.7 million households in England alone and that it has seen rapid growth over the last 10 years.

‘Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) form a vital part of this sector, often providing
cheaper accommodation for people whose housing options are limited. HMOs are known
to be commonly occupied by students but there are also a growing number of young
professionals and migrant workers sharing houses and flats,’ it points out.

‘Some HMOs are occupied by the most vulnerable people in our society. These people live
in properties that were not built for multiple occupation, and the risk of overcrowding and
fire can be greater than with other types of accommodation,’ it explains.

‘We want to support good private landlords who provide decent well maintained homes and not impose unnecessary regulation. The nature of HMOs means that regulation of this part of the sector is widely agreed to be necessary. However, it is important that this regulation is proportionate and
targeted,’ it adds.

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