Issue - meetings

Purpose of Report

To review the Council’s scheme for the Mandatory Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupancy.

Decision

That the proposed City of Lincoln scheme for mandatory licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupancy be approved.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

None.

Reason for Decision

New legislation would come into force on 1 October 2018 extending the criteria for the types of Houses in Multiple Occupancy that needed a licence and imposed minimum room sizes and new mandatory conditions to be applied to all licences. The adoption of amenity and space standards for the city clarified the Council’s expectations for the standard of shared housing in Lincoln, helping landlords to know what they need to provide and supporting officers to respond to the challenge.

It was estimated that the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation requiring a licence as a result of the new requirements would increase from 300 to 900 properties.

The revised Mandatory Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation scheme was set out in Appendix A of the report and incorporated the following key changes:

·         a number of definitions within the licence had changed, which were clarified in appendices attached to the scheme;

·         a new Houses in Multiple Occupation online portal was in the process of being configured which would enable applications for licences to be submitted electronically. The scheme had therefore been amended to reflect this;

·         the licence fee had been updated to reflect changes to the Trusted Landlord Scheme;

·         in terms of renewals, legislation prescribed and restricted what documents the Council could require applicants to submit for an application to be valid. The revised scheme specified these requirements;

·         the revised scheme defined ‘appropriate people’ to hold a licence, in that they needed to prove that they had the necessary financial resources and had authority to act in respect of any property associated with the application;

·         a number of amendments to Appendix 10 in relation to satisfactory management arrangements. This outlined what the Council expected of landlords, with high-profile prosecutions having already being executed regarding landlords, ensuring that the Council continued to be robust through its processes and ensuring that they were complied with. Evidence could also be collated electronically as part of the online portal to assist with this;

·         adopted standards had been incorporated into the scheme to reflect new minimum requirements, but this also included guidance from a discretionary perspective in addition to those that were mandatory. Lincoln had a large number of Houses in Multiple Occupancy so it was important to push standards, with these revisions set out in Appendices 11 and 12 relevant to all Houses in Multiple Occupancy in the city, which were consistent with neighbouring areas;

·         further clarity was provided in relation to fire safety and fire doors in particular;

·         further clarity was provided in respect of conditions associated with smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms;

·         further clarity was provided regarding the requirement of landlords to ensure compliance with the Council’s waste disposal scheme, particularly in relation to bins being left on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49