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Multiple Occupation: Licensing

Volume 472: debated on Wednesday 5 March 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to begin the review of the licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation. (171398)

The Department is committed to an ongoing review of the operation and effectiveness of the Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing regime. As part of this process the Department has recently introduced flexibility for local authorities in respect of the prescribed standards for the numbers of toilets, bathrooms and wash hand basins in all HMOs. The Department is committed to the Building Research Establishment (BRE) conducting a study in 2008-09 on the practical implication, effectiveness and impact of the HMO licensing regime since implementation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 7 December 2006, Official Report, column 703W, on houses in multiple occupation, how many applications for houses in multiple occupation licences have been (a) received and (b) approved in each local authority since April 2006. (171399)

Up to 4 February 2008, 265 local authorities had provided information on the number of applications received for licences for houses in multiple occupation and these totalled 24,926. 239 local authorities had also provided information on the number of licenses issued or refused and these totalled 14,193 and 93 respectively. This left 10,640 for which an outcome had yet to be notified in a usable form to the Department. It is the local authorities with substantial numbers of applications where the usable data is outstanding. The Department is working with these authorities to resolve this issue.

51 local authorities had confirmed that they had received no applications and 38 local authorities had provided no information. The full list of local authority returns has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what sanctions are available to her Department to take action against local authorities who do not implement the licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation. (171400)

A local authority that does not implement the mandatory licensing scheme for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) under the Housing Act 2004 is failing in its statutory duty, and could therefore be challenged through the courts.