Council extends licensing scheme with option that is "best for tenants" in Bedford

Bedford Borough Council has extended its Additional Houses in Multiple Occupation Licensing Scheme with an option that is the “best for tenants”.

The council’s executive committee heard yesterday (January 25) that the council has a statutory duty to review the current scheme as it is coming to an end in May.

The report presented to the executive said Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) are popular choices of accommodation for a range of individuals, including those on low incomes, the unemployed, students and young professionals.

The portfolio holder for community safety regulatory services and housing, councillor Colleen Atkins (Labour, Harpur) said: “HMOs are often high turnover short tendencies and that puts the tenants at a higher risk than other types of rented property.”

The executive heard that the licensing scheme will be extended for five years, and this will ensure that the smaller HMOs are still regulated.

“And the issues of health and safety of tenants can be picked up at an early stage and preventative measures put in place,” councillor Atkins said.

“That will help to protect the tenants that are vulnerable, and allow the council to focus on taking action against landlords who try to avoid licensing, or fail to manage their properties effectively.”

Councillor Atkins said there were six options, and in an ideal world, the council might like to go with Option 6 – to replace additional licensing with a selective licensing scheme for the whole borough, or a smaller concentrated area within it.

“We are recommending [Option 2 – Renewal of a borough-wide additional licence designation] because that is the one which is going to allow the best for our tenants who are in the HMOs,” councillor Atkins said.

“Option 2 also has the advantage that it will maintain the good work already undertaken by the team and it will increase broad compliance of structure management and fire safety to the HMO housing stock.

“It will also provide a level playing field for all HMOs and ensure new HMOs are up to the current standards, and it will also enable the council to tackle rogue elements of landlords who continue not to comply with minimum standards.

“And, of course, mandatory HMO licensing will continue,” she said.

Councillor Henry Vann (LibDems, De Parys) said: “I’m sure [members] have had casework relating to, in some cases, landlords, abrogating their responsibilities.

“Basically telling tenants to sort out problems that they don’t shouldn’t be having to sort themselves, things like fitting smoke detectors and fitting their own fire safety equipment.

“And that’s a really unacceptable situation for people to find themselves in and particularly if they’re on a short term tendency as well.

“I absolutely endorse the continuation of this policy, in particularly this line, ‘were licensing not to continue routine inspections would stop’, and clearly that wouldn’t be the right way forward,” he said.

The executive agreed to approve Option 2 and to undertake further consultations and reviews.