Slough landlords will soon have to fork out £950 for an additional licence and £750 for a selective licence under two proposed new schemes.

It has launched a consultation into the crackdown which would cover every private licensable rented property in Slough. The proposed selective licensing designation is predicted to contain 14,686 licensable properties, with the proposed additional licensing designation containing 1,350 HMOs.

Landlords will have to pay an extra £75 if they need to be prompted to make an application and won’t get discounts for early applications or for membership of a landlord accreditation scheme.

The council explains: “It is felt that the administration of a multifaceted fee structure would take resources away from the licensing team and detract from the main purpose of the schemes. The lost licence fee income resulting from an early bird discount would also result in an increase of the standard fee.”

Covering

Slough had a selective licence scheme covering central Slough and Chalvey wards, and an additional borough-wide licensing scheme from 2020 to 2024, which resulted in 149 properties being licensed under the additional scheme and 3,635 properties licensed under the selective scheme.

The authority reckons that it now has 682 known HMOs across the borough but that there are 1,342 hidden HMOs. It believes 452 HMOs and 2,743 PRS properties are likely to have a serious hazard.

Rules

Councillor Zafar Satti, lead member for public protection and regulatory services, says toughening the rules for the private rented and HMO sectors will only be a good thing, as it puts measures in place to protect residents and communities. He adds: “It will help to make sure properties are of a higher standard, make them more desirable to live in and offer more stability. I would urge everyone to share their comments, to ensure we have covered everything in the final schemes.”

The 10-week consultation is open until 23rd September.

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