Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
New HMO Licensing Proposals Get Green Light
Last night the Council's Cabinet approved a plan to begin the process for re-establishing Additional and Selective Licensing Schemes for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)
This is good news, and certainly not before time. The link to the report is HERE
Currently the Council has a mandatory scheme in place which covers the whole borough, with another scheme for parts of North Tottenham still running. The selective scheme for Harringay ward, which was the first in the borough led to many HMOs being licensed. As I understand it, Government rules are that selective schemes can only run for 5 years and then you have to reapply and go back to the beginning. This means mapping areas, providing loads of very detailed evidence and also having a consultation period. The government have made it even more difficult to get effective licensing in place as they will not now approve borough wide selective schemes like the one established in Newham. The new rules are that only 20% of an area can have the selective (that is more rigorous scheme) at any one time.
I have been to two presentations about the proposed schemes for Haringey and all the ground work has now been done. Harringay ward will benefit from this as we have more HMOs than any other ward in the borough and twice the London average. It has long been my view that these schemes are not only essential foundations for managing private sector renting, but they make a very positive and helpful contribution to regeneration of any area. In the current push for demolitions and development this work, and other aspects of regulation are often undervalued.They just aren't very glamorous, and don't involve lunches with developers!
Income from the schemes will be ring fenced this time, providing funding for more enforcement staff who are sorely needed to deal with all the problems and violations. If all goes according to the timetable, which involves central government, the schemes should be up and running in September 2018. Can't come soon enough!
The experience from Newham was hugely positive and I hope it will be here. The consultation has started now so please do respond. This is very important for residents everywhere.
Zena Brabazon
Cllr, Harringay ward
Tags for Forum Posts: Houses in Multiple Occupation, Licensing Schemes
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Thanks Zena, this is excellent news. Making it work is going to be down to both raising awareness with locals (so they know when and how to report issues) and sufficient enforcement staff, so ring fencing income for the purpose is very welcome.
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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"Harringay ward [...] has more HMOs than any other ward" maybe those you know about, but I'd give good odds that there are thousands elsewhere that are not known about.
Too few enforcement officers, we have been told that they rely on residents to be their eyes and ears as that's the only way they can find out about things. Lots of publicity once this scheme starts will be needed.
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Permalink Reply by Zena Brabazon on
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Hi Neil
Actully landlords can be prosecuted in the criminal cours and canbe givenvery heavy fines. But getting to court is a hugely long and complicated process which has to start with the local authority taking enforcement action, serving notices, allowing time for response and all the rest o fit. Court is the last step and I know heavy fines have been meted out and occasionally prison sentences. Strong enforcement locally is vital with a culture where landlords know they will be enforced against if they breach the rules. Pamish is right of course, we need a hugely increased enforcement service and I think this will pay huge dividends for local people, for the council and our communities. I am a fan of the regulatory services like enforcement, environmental health, licensing, food safety, trading standards and would invest in them. They are essential for regeneration not some add on of red tape.
Zena
Zena Brabazon
Cllr, Harringay Ward
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Permalink Reply by Samantha Osborne on
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Perhaps make use of Fixed Penalty Notices in relation to housing as they are considering in Stafford
http://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/civil-penalty-for-housing-act-offences
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Permalink Reply by warren miller on
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I thought new HMO licensing rules were expected to be introduced in spring 2018 anyway, no?
https://www.urban.co.uk/landlord-university/advice/are-you-aware-of...
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The consultation on new regulations closed December 2016 and the intention was to introduce new legalisation in April 2017, then that slipped to October 2017 and didn’t happen. There no guarantee that it will get onto the Parliamentary legislative timetable for implementation next next.
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Looks like it's coming
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/dec/28/government-crackdown-...
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Permalink Reply by maggie on
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Maybe the size and layout of the houses lend themselves to being carved up into multiple units.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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No. There are other similar areas of London without this. Merton for instance:
This is completely to do with the predominant values of the people who were here when the houses were rapidly being carved up into flats or let as HMOs. The idea to do this was not native to London.
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It certainly is native to London. When I arrived here in the 70s even South Kensington was solid bedsit land. Read the grittier novels set in London the 50s and 60s and it seems that every character lived in a bedside with a single bar electric fire!
HMOs have a valuable place in the housing stock. They are how many of us got our first place to live. The problem has been with doing away with the legislative framework that made them at least an affordable and safe option. For instance, I was able to get the Rent Officer to fix a fair rent for where I lived in 1979.
Despite what a lot of pundits are warning, the regime of legislation absolutely did not dry up the market in cheapish places to live. It was relatively easy to move from one area of London to another, something I did frequently way back.
Deregulation in the 80s just allowed rents to rocket and people ended up taking any old rubbish simply to get a roof over their heads. That why I welcome the Haringey scheme and hope that it results in well run and managed HMOs that benefit both the tenants and the landlords.
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Haringey has a very high number of of HMOs across the whole borough. I may be wrong but I think it is because much of the borough is terraced street properties much housing is terraced street properties. The deregulation of rent control plus buy to let exacerbated all the issues. I believe firmly in rent control but we won't happen that until we have a change of government. So using the levers of regulation, licensing and enforcement are the levers we have and which we must use to full effect. This scheme needs strong and robust political support to be effective - a point I made clearly at the briefing and which I will continue to make.
Zena
Zena Brabazon
Cllr, Harringay Ward
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Permalink Reply by Mavic Starfish on
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Rising Damp- the only difference is now we have families living in one room, instead of 1 person, so not quite the same
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/beLFu7hUxGdrzmHMAPSNrVMBd5A.jpg
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