Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Planning, Licensing, and Housing Services.

To consider the outcome of consultation and report on Selective Licensing and (subject to those considerations) seek to approve or not approve the introduction of a licensing scheme within a proposed designaton/s of the borough.

The Cabinet Member for Planning , Licensing and Housing introduced the report which sought a decision from Cabinet to consider whether to authorise the designation of an area as subject to selective licensing when considering the consultation outcomes, evidence, and prescribed criteria within Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004. This was following the findings of the statutory consultation on selective licensing which ran from 17^th May 2021 to 5^th September 2021.

The Cabinet noted that more than a third of Haringey’s residents rented their home from a private landlord. The number of privately rented homes was increasing and the Council wanted to ensure all privately rented homes were decent and safe. The private rented sector provided a much needed and valuable source of accommodation for the wide range of individuals, and increasingly families, that require this type of accommodation.

Noted that the new selective licensing scheme fell within all 12 wards to the east of the borough. This scheme would make it mandatory for any landlord renting a property to a single-family household or two unrelated sharers to licence this property with the Council. This proposed scheme will complement the existing property licensing scheme that we have in place for property rented as Houses in Multiple Occupation, which has been in operation since May 2019.

Following decision at Cabinet this will be considered by the Government Ministry responsible for local government.

Questions from Cllr Davies, Cllr Brabazon, Cllr Chandwani, Cllr das Neves, and Councillor Cawley- Harrison, were put forward and the following noted.

-       Previous ward boundaries were included, as the consultation had been based on this and the government department agreed to this. There was a look up system available to allow tenants and landlords to add in address and find out if a license is needed or property already licensed.

-       Acceptance of the scheme was aimed for. There had been 2 wards taken out as their inclusion would have caused a risk of refusal of the whole scheme. It was noted that the specialists’ advisors , supporting the review of the scheme, had worked with Enfield and Waltham Forest and had a wealth of experience. There had been arm’s length meetings with the ministry and steer provided. Feedback given that strong submission and also having a draft housing strategy with a section on private sector housing was positive.

-       Noted that the extra revenue produced will provide for additional officers in the selective licensing team to be recruited. Satisfied extra revenue will enable the enforcement activities to be taken forward.

-       With regards to preparing for the scheme, once it was agreed and starts, the plan was to move staff from the HMO Licensing team to the selective Licensing team and also take forward a new recruitment programme to ensure good staffing levels to deliver the selective licensing scheme, should approval be given by ministry .

-       Principle of having an agile workforce being taken forward to ensure meet the needs of the project  ...  view the full minutes text for item 763