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14/7/25 8:13 pm
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HMO landlords in Peterborough will have to apply for an additional licence once a new scheme launches in January.
The authority believes the new city-wide scheme will positively promote compliant landlords and make it easier to involve all landlords in wider strategies including crime reduction initiatives.
Councillors gave it the green light when deputy council leader Mohammed Farooq told a cabinet meeting: “The selective licensing which was brought in for other properties in particular areas have delivered thousands of inspections, identified hundreds of thousands of hazards and has improved the service to those people renting significantly. I think this will go on to deliver that service across the board for HMOs as well.”
There are an estimated 2,500 HMOs in the city - up from 1,410 in 2011 - although the number of smaller HMOs is unknown, according to the council, which reports that 563 properties are currently licensed. It believes there are 2,000 unlicensed HMOs, most of which will be three to four bedrooms.
Councillors heard that while the previous selective licensing scheme had a very low turnover in relation to property improvement, the current scheme had licensed more than 7,000 properties directly in the second year and half of those were at the point of full or no inspection.
The additional scheme will cost £1,100 for a five-year licence for all three and four person HMOs comprising two or more households. The move follows a public consultation this summer in which 65% of residents supported additional licensing being introduced. However, both Propertymark and the NRLA urged the council to reconsider borough-wide licensing, while 77% of landlords didn’t support it.
The new licensing scheme – which launches on 26th January - will be online and delivered in direct partnership by Home Safe, which runs the council’s selective scheme.
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