A plan to put restrictions on the way homes that have been divided into flats are managed is being floated in Reading.
Reading Borough Council has launched a consultation into launching a licensing scheme for landlords who own homes of multiple occupation (HMOs) in areas of the town.
Landlords who own HMOs for five or more people must possess licences which oblige landlords to certain conditions, to ensure safety measures and proper waste management, and prevent overcrowding.
Now the council’s Labour administration wants to introduce licensing for all HMOs, no matter how many people live in them.
READ MORE: Reading council to put additional rules on flats owned by buy-to-let landlords
The licensing scheme is being proposed in an attempt to address common issues with HMOs which include waste collection difficulties, safety and overcrowding.
The scheme would apply to the Redlands and Park wards of East Reading, and the Battle ward of West Reading.
Licenses will cost £950 as the standard rate, reduced to £800 if the landlord is a member of a landlord accreditation scheme, such as accredited members of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA).
The fee would be increased to £1,200 for late applications.
The announcement of the consultation has been welcomed by councillor Dave McElroy, the Green candidate for the Reading Central constituency.
Cllr McElroy (Green, Redlands), said: “We welcome this consultation big time. We’ve been calling for something like this for many years and it’s about time Reading Labour finally started putting renters ahead of landlords.
“Hopefully not to gloat too hard, but this is just another one of the things that we have called for that the council have pooh poohed only for them to implement it down the line.
“As the main opposition its clear the Greens have a lot of soft power in Reading. Imagine if we had that voice in Westminster too…”
The introduction of a scheme formed part of Dr Sunila Lobo’s campaign as the Labour candidate to oust cllr McElroy, who held onto his seat with 1,478 votes, a majority of 557.
READ MORE: call for controls on HMO flats plagued by rubbish issues
The consultation is live on the council’s website here, which is running for 10 weeks.
There will also be drop-in sessions in the following locations:
- Battle Library – Tuesday, June 18 – 9.30am to 12.30pm
- South Reading Community Hub – Tuesday, July 16 – 12.30pm to 4pm.
James Crosbie, the council’s assistant director for planning and public Protection, said: “We want to hear from tenants and landlords about our proposals and whether this will help drive change and provide better homes for our residents. National evidence shows that good homes have positive impacts on physical and mental health and for families and better educational outcomes.
“We want to ensure that all our private rented sector is safe for tenants.
“ The proposed scheme will help with that aim, as we widen the area of inspection in terms of housing which will go beyond the mandatory scheme.”
He added that the consultation is open to all interested parties.
Mr Crosbie said: “If we go ahead with the proposed plan, we will be looking at implementing the scheme in a phased approach from Spring 2025.
“These schemes will help make homes safer and provide better quality homes for those who are renting.”
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