Barnet Council is pushing ahead with plans to reintroduce a Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing scheme, which will help improve property standards.

The process, which follows a three-month public consultation last year, was formalised this week with the signing of the official designation document by the authority’s CEO, John Hooton.

Councillor Ross Houston, Chair of the Housing & Growth Committee, said: “It is important that we keep housing in the private rented sector at a high standard. Safety is paramount. Our Officers work diligently to ensure high standards, which will benefit tenants, good landlords and our community. These new measures will also help further reduce anti-social behaviour that can sometimes be associated with HMOs, and that can only be a good thing for everybody.”

‘Additional licensing’, which requires HMOs across the borough to be licenced, was previously introduced in Barnet in 2016 and expired in July 2021. Following a review of the previous scheme and undertaking a public consultation a new scheme will run for a further five years, to begin on Thursday 27 October 2022. To find out the licensing rules and regulations that currently apply to HMOs in the borough and to view the Public Notice visit: www.barnet.gov.uk/hmos. Landlords are strongly encouraged to submit their applications early to avoid the risk of enforcement action.

You can learn more about last year’s consultation on the HMO licensing scheme proposals, and on proposals for selective licensing schemes for other privately rented properties, at: engage.barnet.gov.uk/property-licensing-proposals