Norwich landlords could soon face new additional and selective licensing schemes after the council agreed to progress proposals.

Councillors on the scrutiny committee voted unanimously that its cabinet should consider consulting on a city-wide additional licensing scheme and a selective licensing scheme in up to four wards: Nelson, Mile Cross, Town Close and Sewell.

At the meeting, two Green councillors - Bliss Wylie and Hannah Hoechner - declared their interest as Acorn union members. Wylie (pictured) told colleagues: “While I do support the principle of landlord licensing, I recognise that any decision by the council must follow the proper statutory process, be based on robust evidence and be taken with an open mind after considering the evidence and consultation responses.”

Acorn is an advocate of licensing and in 2024 lobbied the council to introduce a selective licensing scheme and better enforce its housing policies. Last December, the group had complaints of Norwich councillors being “disrespectful and hostile” towards members dismissed by an independent panel.

Locked

Its Norwich branch had been locked in a feud with Labour councillors amid allegations about behaviour at meetings. Acorn’s members were also accused of harassing and intimidating councillors through their tactics, a claim it denied, according to the Eastern Daily Press.

The council’s report into licensing found evidence that in some parts of the city and across certain property types, issues such as poor housing conditions, inconsistent management standards, and high tenant turnover continued to place pressure on residents, neighbourhoods, and council services.

Expanded

The PRS in Norwich has expanded rapidly and now includes more than 20,300 properties, up from 23% of all housing in 2011 to 29% in 2025. It explained: “We estimate that around 2,286 privately rented homes in Norwich present at least one serious safety risk. Conditions in HMOs are even more concerning, with serious hazards estimated to affect over 20% of these properties.”

It believes there are 2,343 HMOs, making the city’s overall percentage of HMOs more than six times the England average and comparable with other local authorities such as London boroughs, Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol and Nottingham.

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