A private rental licensing consultancy has spotted that an additional licensing scheme run by a London borough council has now lapsed after five years.

London Property Licensing says Islington council had an additional licensing scheme applying to all Houses in Multiple Occupation in two specific locations which came into force on September 1 2015. 

“These licensing schemes cannot last for more than five years and so the scheme ended on August 31 2020” says the website.

However, the site warns that the absence of an additional scheme is likely to be short-lived. 

Last autumn the council consulted on proposals to implement new additional and selective licensing schemes and this spring the authority’s executive committee approved plans for a borough wide additional licensing scheme that will apply to all house and flat shares occupied by three or more people who are not all related.

“The council expect to approve 3,500 additional licences generating about £3m fee income that will be reinvested in running the scheme” notes London Property Licensing. 

Delays in implementation of some aspects of the schemes is likely to have been down to the Coronavirus crisis.