Reading Borough Council is running a consultation on introducing Additional HMO Licensing to all of Reading, and Selective Licensing to three wards: Battle, Park and Redlands.
There are three types of licence which councils can issue:
- Mandatory HMO licences for properties with 5 or more people forming 2 or more households – this is already in force throughout Reading
- Additional HMO licences – any property with 3 or more unrelated people requires an Additional HMO licence
- Selective licence – this is where every rental property needs a licence – this is now live in Oxford City and boroughs such as Newham in London.
- There is already an Article 4 directive in place which limits ‘small’ HMOs with 3-4 people in the University area. The new proposed Licensing will not affect this.
What does this mean to you as a landlord?
- If you have 3 unrelated tenants in your property you will need an HMO licence and this will cost up to £950 for five years
- If you have any rental property in Battle, Park or Redlands then you will need a Selective License and this will cost up to £750 for five years.
The consultation runs until Wednesday 28th August – take part and share your views via this link: https://reading.govocal.com/en-GB/projects/prsconsultation
We encourage all affected landlords to participate in the consultation. Haslams will be sharing its views too.
Why is Reading Borough Council doing this?
They say it is to drive up standards in the Private Rented Sector. The council estimates that 4,297 privately rented properties in Reading are likely to have at least one serious housing hazard.
Find out more:
- Consultation Homepage – This page has good maps of the three affected wards plus documents about the consultation.
- Consultation FAQ
There are two drop-in sessions:
- 15 July 2024, 6-8pm at St William of York RC Church, Upper Redlands Rd Sign up here
- 16 July 2024, 12:30-4pm at South Reading Community Hub Sign up here