.jpg)
A council is urging private landlords who let out properties locally to check if they need a licence under a new regime being introduced on October 1.
The Sandwell council Additional Licensing scheme will allow the council to licence every HMO, bedsits, rooms in houses etc. which are not already subject to mandatory licensing.
Landlords who let such properties in the borough are being asked to register for a licence in advance of the scheme getting underway.
The cost of a five-year licence will be £1001.00, paid in two stages with discounts of up to £220 available for landlords who are members of accredited landlord schemes.
Councillor Vicki Smith, Sandwell’s Cabinet Member for Housing & Sustainable Development says: “We want to improve housing conditions and make sure that landlords are providing good quality, safe HMOs.
“While we know that many landlords already do this, there are still too many properties that are poorly managed and are in unsafe and unsatisfactory conditions. We will work with landlords to see that their property is up to standard and ensure it is safe to live in for tenants, and that all the licensing conditions and management regulations are followed.”
Failure to licence a property which requires licensing may result in an unlimited fine on summary conviction or a Civil Penalty of up to £30,000.
The introduction of the scheme follows an extensive 10-week consultation which took place early this year. Large Houses in Multiple Occupation – where five or more people live – already require landlords to apply for a mandatory licence from the council.
Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.
Local media in the Midlands say another Labour council is set...
A Midlands council is the latest to introduce an additional licensing...
Private landlords who let out properties in Central West Bromwich are...
A council is considering an additional licensing scheme for HMOs in...
A council is next week considering a move which is seen...
A new Renters' Rights Bill is to be introduced into Parliament,...
A council has reported that its Selective Licensing scheme has had...
Landlords, if you haven't heard of it until now, it's time...
As a seasoned landlord, you've likely witnessed the UK property market's...
Managing rental properties, whether you have a few or a dozen,...
Congratulations on taking the leap into becoming a landlord! Property investing...
Twenty twenty-four is a pivotal year for landlords in the Private...
There wasn’t much by way of good news in the Spring...
National Landlord Investment Show has announced that the former Leader of...
We are thrilled to report that the first National Landlord Investment...
Landlords play a crucial role in providing safe and comfortable housing...
.jpg)
Calling all landlords, Investors and property professionals: National Landlord Investment Show...
In the buy to let market, success goes beyond the transaction...
Mohammed Sharaz, a landlord from Bradford, recently seized an opportunity to...
We believe a well-functioning housing system is one that meets everyone’s...
If you are a landlord looking for the silver lining in...
This year is set to bring sweeping rental reforms that will...
Landlords are exiting the market in droves. According to an accountancy firm...
%20(002).png)
Newable Finance, the finance brokerage & advisory arm of Newable, launches...
Homes in the rental sector are more likely to have old...
.jpg)
A council is next week considering a move which is seen...
A new Renters' Rights Bill is to be introduced into Parliament,...
A council has reported that its Selective Licensing scheme has had...
.jpg)
An activist group supporting renters is calling for the final two...
The deputy chief executive of Generation Rent claims to have suffered...
.jpg)
Activist group Generation Rent has produced a report in tandem with...
Who are you and what does it say on...
Who are you and what does it say on...
Who are you, and what does it say on...
Join the conversation
CASH everywhere 💰😂💰. We all know what thieving ******* they are 👎🏻
Our lovely new Housing Secretary is in favour of 4 day weeks for councils. So they will be all on that bandwagon soon too.
Pick your pocket, Stab you in the back. And then ask for help with housing! . Not the best way to win people over.
Licensing the tip of the iceberg if it was only £1001.00 it would be great maybe it’s a carpet cleaner.
No it costs you thousands per property with Compliance Requirements because the houses were already built but they just thought up those Regulations after the event so how could they compliant.
That’s bad enough but also comes with dozens of terms & conditions that weren’t there before putting you at total risk under the law and can give us umpteen new fines, so called civil penalties.
When we put our neck on the block to buy the property at our own significant risk with our own finances we didn’t sign up for any of this, now it’s all imposed on us enemy No.1.
Licensing Schemes, The Renter’s Reform Bill, Removing Section 21, Section 24 tax,
all designed to destroy private landlords this is the main factor in the cause of the housing Crisis, homeless, unaffordable accommodation and brought down the Government yet still in denial and oblivious of the fact, as thick as 2 planks or what.
I don't like SL but I have to disagree with some of this. My understanding is they cannot impose conditions that are over & above statutory regs so compliance costs for a decent property should be minimal. Yes, the upfront cost &the time required to fill in the details are burdensome, but these costs can be passed on to the tenant. Personally, with 2 properties in Nottingham's SL area, I have had to add one smoke alarm over 2 SL schemes.
They do impose conditions above the statutory regs. It’s the inspectors interpretation of the rules and for me to counter I’ve either got to be a lawyer myself or pay for one. They are not the most intelligent of people so it’s quite difficult sometimes to explain that what they are insisting on creates hazards that are unsafe for my tenants
And what will they do with all this licence money- Line their own nests. Thing is too they can charge what ever they want. I don’t think there’s a cap on it- 1,000 - 2,000 . And if ur a L Lord u/ we gotta pay it.
Is the charge in these schemes per property, per landlord or per tenant?
Per property. But that’s bad enough!
I was hoping per landlord, I could add £200 per year to the rent across 5 properties. If it looks likely to come into force where I opperate then an email will go out to each tenant explaining why they are having a huge rent increase to give them all the opportunity to complain to the council before hand to express their thoughts.
Maybe they will see the benefit to themselves of having this excellent support from the council and pay up gladly with a cheery wave and smile ...
Tricia, of course they can they do it all the time. There’s a whole raft of requirements as long as your arm better not get involved in the list I have done it before it’s endless and more added at every renewal, my goodness if only it was a smoke alarm, not knocking you softly softly the thin end of the wedge roping you into the minefield.
Incidentally Mr Gove changed Statute with the stroke of a pen,
Selective Listening was only to be used for problem parts of a Borough no more than 3 parts but he said it ok to make it Borough wide, now happily walks hands free having done his dirty work.
No wonder so many HMO’s are being sold off.
HMO's would be better value, a 5 bed HMO attracts 1 charge, where 5 X 1 bed flats or houses would cost you £5k.
Driving more renters into the bliss of communal living.
"Rooms in houses" i note is mentioned for the first time. This means anyone allowing a lodger ???
If they start requiring lodging premises to be licensed, there will be a lot of trouble from owner-occupiers and people using Air BnBers, who are used to imposing all sorts of restrictions on their lodgers: women only, employed only, no music, no noise after 10, kitchen only to be used between 6.30 and 7, no WFH, you name it. Once they're obliged to install a wired-in fire alarm system, sprinklers maybe, approved soft furnishings, no oking, annual gas Inspections etc etc etc, lodger landlords will see what PRS landlords have to put up with.
They won’t touch ‘owner occupiers’ they have colossal political weight (thankfully). There will be no PRS type over regulation and red tape imposed on ‘owner occupiers’. Owners who don’t ‘occupy’ well that’s us are fair game, at least until we become an endangered species!
AJR, the answer is still the same they can’t destroy Private Sector Housing without affecting all home owners it all one Market.
So if we don’t buy anymore but start selling what do you think will happen to the market as in London then the prices drops for all Home owners, often it was the landlord that bought ones that were difficult to sell, or needed a lot of work to bring up to date which otherwise a mortgage company might not touch it. So it all properly one way and another does Mr Ben Twomey know this if his parents have a house what about his inheritance.
4 days a week that’s amazing and me working 7 days a week all my life and they wonder why they haven’t a house.
I know 4 days would suit the Council they only do one day’s in a week anyway but now they have created 4 days a week Administration for me.
Council workers and the civil service are lazy toads. All sucking of the private sector’s t**.
They don’t work 5 days a week at the moment. The government has built at least one state of the art office in the regions. But it’s empty. Why? Public sector workers are at home watching This Morning and Loose Women.
Good job they are not Farmers who’s going to milk the Cows.
Please login to comment