Lambeth Council are being asked to consider a new report that recommends all HMO’s to be subject to Additional /licensing/, and that the scheme will charge £520 per habitable room – not property – for a licence, although discounts of up to 50% will be available in some circumstances.  This would affect any HMO not covered by the current nation-wide mandatory scheme for HMO’s of 5 occupants, or more.

Lambeth is the capital’s fourth largest borough with over a quarter of a million residents and the 32^nd largest in the UK with 10% of its PRS stock being HMOs.  They justify this proposal by claiming that anti-social behaviour or ASB rates per 1000 properties are significantly higher in the HMO sector when compared to the PRS as a whole and that 37% of the HMOs within Lambeth contain one or more serious hazards that affect the health and safety of the residents of Lambeth.

Lambeth also claims that the scheme will be self-financing, costing and raising – from landlords – approximately £10 million during its five-years of operation.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness, Councillor Maria Kay has recommended the report which will now be scrutinised by Lambeth during a full Cabinet meeting.