West Northamptonshire Council has given the go-ahead for an extended additional licensing scheme in Northampton.

The initiative, which launches on 24th February, aims to improve the safety, conditions, and management of HMOs with three or four occupants forming two or more households and replaces a scheme which is due to end in January.

The council says feedback from its consultation over the summer was instrumental in shaping the proposed scheme and will ensure that it effectively addresses local concerns and housing needs. In line with the council’s housing strategy, the new scheme will support its wider objectives of reducing anti-social behaviour, addressing homelessness, and ensuring safe housing for all residents.

Clusters

It has produced maps showing clusters of problems which it says is down to poorly managed smaller HMOs as well as the new areas covered.

The existing additional licensing scheme covers parts of Northampton’s city centre and originally cost landlords £1,269 for each HMO, but the council has still not said how much a new licence will cost. A report aired prior to the consultation suggested this was likely to go up, given two extra full-time officers will be needed to run the bigger scheme at a cost of £100,000.

The council plans to introduce an online licensing system to streamline applications and promises to keep residents and landlords informed of their roles and responsibilities.

The move follows news of six large scale prosecutions of rogue HMO landlords made by the council in recent weeks, resulting in fines totalling £855,000. The landlords were found guilty of operating unlicensed and unsafe HMOs around Northampton.