Huge expansion of HMO licensing proposed by city council

Birmingham’s Labour-controlled council is launching a consultation on a vast expansion to its existing HMO Additional Licensing scheme.

The proposal is for an Additional Licensing scheme which will cover all 69 wards in Birmingham, made up of approximately 12,000 properties, and will last five years. 

At the moment the council’s existing mandatory licensing scheme only covers 4,000 larger properties with fi ve or more occupants. T

Sajeela Naseer, the council’s head of licensing, says: “We have gathered a lot of data over the years which shows a clear correlation between HMOs and antisocial behaviour, waste and some serious home hazards. Licence conditions would include requiring landlords to work with the council to tackle Anti-Social Behaviour arising from their properties, have appropriate waste management arrangements in place and ensure that their properties are safe.”

Andy Thompson, councillor responsible for homes, adds: “‘We want to hear from as many people as possible about the proposed new scheme, particularly tenants living in HMOs and landlords who are responsible for them. Our research has shown that there are potentially 8,000 HMOs without a licence and that many are badly managed and give rise to a lot of anti-social behaviour. 

“The licence would  give the council extra powers to proactively identify HMOs and join up with other services such as the police to tackle the issues. This is why we believe that designating a citywide additional licensing area is the right course of action.”

The proposed licence fee will be £755 for five years. 

The consultation goes live at 9am today.