Nearly all HMOs in the borough of Greenwich will need licences from this week, which the council says will help drive up standards among landlords.
The “additional licensing scheme” for homes of multiple occupation came into force on New Year’s Day and covers properties which contain three or more residents living in separate households where a kitchen, bathroom or toilet is shared. HMOs with five or more households already needed licences under national laws. It will last until September 2028.
It is the second time Greenwich has tried to licence smaller HMOs in the borough. A previous scheme that ran from 2017 to 2022 was criticised for poor enforcement by the National Residential Landlords’ Association.The consultation on the new scheme was restarted after the association threatened legal action.
Landlords who do not comply can face fines of up to £30,000.
The council hopes that the new scheme will help tackle abuses such as those suffered by many in the Nepalese Gurkha community in Plumstead, who are thrown out of their digs each day by unscrupulous landlords and left to wander the streets.
In addition to the HMO licensing scheme, all residential landlords in parts of Woolwich, Plumstead and Shooters Hill must have licences under a scheme which began in October 2022.
Ann-Marie Cousins, the cabinet member for community safety and enforcement, said: ““Every resident has the right to a safe and well-maintained home.
“As a council we are committed to improving the lives and homes of private tenants, and our property licensing schemes are key to this. We will continue to work hard to tackle rogue landlords who put their tenants at risk by failing to licence their properties.”
Greenwich Council has a confidential hotline for reporting unlicensed and badly-run HMOs.