Issue - meetings

Report of Assistant Director Housing

Purpose of report

This report seeks adoption of revised and updated versions of the Council’s House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Standards Policy and its HMO Licensing Policy.

Recommendations

The Executive is recommended to:

 1.1        Adopt the House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Standards Policy 2018 in place of the 2012 version with effect from 1 October 2018.

1.2       Adopt the House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Licensing Policy 2018 in place of the 2012 version with effect from 1 October 2018.

Resolved

(1)          That House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Standards Policy 2018 (annex to the Minutes as set out in the Minute Book) be adopted in place of the 2012 version with effect from 1 October 2018.

(2)          That the House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Licensing Policy 2018 be adopted in place of the 2012 version with effect from 1 October 2018.

The Assistant Director Housing submitted a report which sought adoption of revised and updated versions of the Council’s House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Standards Policy and its HMO Licensing Policy.

In response to comments by the Leader of the Labour Group regarding the need to enforce the policies, the Lead Member for Housing confirmed that he was confident there was adequate staff and resource in place.

Resolved

(1)           That House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Standards Policy 2018 (annex to the Minutes as set out in the Minute Book) be adopted in place of the 2012 version with effect from 1 October 2018.

(2)           That the House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Licensing Policy 2018 be adopted in place of the 2012 version with effect from 1 October 2018.

Reasons

The proposed policies are necessary updates to existing policies which take account of legislative changes. We have also taken the opportunity to update and refresh the policies but those changes are limited and largely evolutionary in nature.

These policies are necessary to ensure effective delivery of the Council’s licensing responsibilities and effective enforcement of standards in HMOs.

Alternative options

The first alternative option would be not to adopt the proposed HMO Standards Policy. That course of action would leave the Council at risk of challenge if it sought to apply space standards or waste disposal standards in licences from 1/10/18 and would also mean the Council was disregarding relevant legislation. That course is not recommended

The second alternative option would be not to adopt the proposed HMO Licensing Policy.  That would leave the Council continuing to operate with an unnecessarily elderly current policy that could prove insufficiently accurate if challenged and which would also leave future licence fee setting to be made by means of Lead Member Decision rather than made part of the Council’s annual fees and charges setting process.  That course is not recommended.

The third option would be not to adopt both the proposed policies. That course would result in all of the implications described in both the first and second options and is not recommended.