Nottingham Property Licensing Schemes
Selective Licensing Schemes – Nottingham City Council & Gedling Borough Council
In Nottingham City, there are now 3 different types of of licensing in the Private Rented Sector. Mandatory HMO Licensing (for large traditional shared properties), Additional Licensing (for smaller shared properties) since August 2018 we now have Selective Licensing, that essentially covers the vast majority of privately rented residential property across the whole city authority. (briefly we also had a 4th variation of licensing, S257’s, but this scheme has now been retired and the properties within it have now become Additionally, or Selectively Licenced – I hope you’re keeping up!)
Nottingham City Council – Selective Licensing Scheme
In January 2017 Nottingham City Council launched a consultation on a citywide licensing scheme that would have seen every privately rented home in the city licensed. This included everything from studio flats in the city centre, right up to family homes in the suburbs. The scheme was deemed the solution to poor property standards and tenant anti-social behaviour, and after a last minute pruning of the size of the scheme it was given the go-ahead by the Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government in February 2018 and was hurriedly rolled-out on August 1st 2018, taking in over 30,000 homes across the city.
The fees for the scheme have had consistently moving goalposts, and at launch were set at £780 per property. There were discounts for accredited landlords, that could bring the cost down to £520.
As well as the £780 fee, landlords also needed to pay for DBS checks, Electrical Condition Reports, a Floorplan, and an updated EPC if they don’t already have them. Landlords will also need to provide proof that they have attended at least one days formal landlord training, even if they use a licensed & accredited agent to manage their properties. (The requirement for DBS checks, ECR’s, and Floorplans were dropped at the eleventh hour – after thousands had been produced!)
In 2020, less than two years after the launch of the scheme, Nottingham City Council increased the Selective Licence fee to £890.
Nottingham Selective Licensing Scheme 2023
Nottingham City Council have now filed their submission to government for their ‘new’ Selective License scheme that will commence later this year (Selective Licensing schemes are designed to deliver a specific outcome in a specific timescale, so they cannot be simply extended – a new scheme has to be approved by central government)
The fees for the new scheme are largely in line with the current one, at £880 for non-accredited landlords, and £668 for those that are accredited. The designation map has been tweaked slightly and the total number of houses has dropped slightly, but the scheme looks largely the same as the current designation.
The latest information that we have on the new scheme, including the proposed map, can be found here.
Gedling Borough Council Selective Licensing Scheme
In 2018 Gedling Borough Council introduced a small and very specific selective licensing scheme that primarily covered the Netherfield area. Following on from this scheme, in November 2022 licensing was extended to include Carlton Hill (inc the old brickyard) Colwick, Daybrook, and Newstead Village. The designation runs from 1st November 2022 to 31st October 2027.
Costs are slightly lower than those in Nottingham at £700 for non-accredited landlords, and £585 for those with accreditation.
You can find out more about the Gedling Selective Licensing Scheme here, and you can check for yourself to see if your property falls into the scheme using the interactive map.
What is an HMO?
A house in multiple occupation (HMO) is a building or part of a building occupied as a main residence by 3 or more people that form 2 or more households.
Households can be one person or several people provided that they are related to each other, including cousins, grandparents and stepchildren as well as partners living together. E.g. 1 brother and 1 sister = 1 household. 1 brother, 1 sister and 1 friend = 2 households.
Nottingham City Council – Additional Licensing Scheme for smaller HMO’s
In Nottingham, before 1 January 2014, HMO licensing only applied to HMOs which have 3 or more storeys* and are occupied by 5 or more people, from two or more households. From January 2014 however landlords with properties within a very specific area were required by Nottingham City Council, to have an Additional Licence if their property was rented out to 3 sharers that were not part of the same household. The scheme was renewed in 2019, and in 2024 is again due to be renewed with a new scheme that will last another 5 years. You can find out more about the proposed new additional licensing scheme here.
Why do we have Licensing?
Licensing is designed to improve housing standards. Nobody can argue that the standard of some rental property falls below par, and licensing is one of the tools that local authorities use to tackle it. That said, local authorities have an array of powers that they could implement to insist that property standards are improved, and there is a great degree of concern amongst landlords that adding yet more fees and bureaucracy to the PRS is primarily going to drive up rents, rather than standards.
The PRS in Nottingham is one of the most tightly regulated in the country, and potential landlords need to be make sure that their properties meet strict planning & licensing criteria before they consider purchasing.
Unfortunately, Nottingham, like any other city, has a small element of illegal landlords renting out properties that fall well below an acceptable standard, and blanket licensing schemes are the preferred method to tackle it. That said, these ‘Rogue Landlords’ are few and far between, and the vast majority provide modern, well maintained homes.
If you have a question about licensing, or you are considering purchasing a house that falls into one of the licensing schemes, call us today. Purchasing a property that cannot be licensed, can be a very costly experience….