A consultation on a proposed new policy to licence homes with multiple occupants has been launched by Norwich Council, and residents are being invited to give their views.
A house in multiple occupation – often known as an HMO – includes any premises where at least five tenants live there, forming more than one household, with shared bathroom, toilet and kitchen facilities. It is only large HMOs that need a licence.
The main changes to the policy include:
a) making the administration and inspection of licensed properties simpler for both applicants and the council, as well as minor amendments to better align the policy with current and new legislation
b) helping provide more detail on what information applicants need to submit with licence applications
c) removal of the one- and three-year licence options, all licences will now be five-year licences
d) introducing a risk-based approach to tackle licence breaches, in addition to statutory powers to revoke and vary licences.
The public are invited to review the proposed policy and share their thoughts by visiting: Get Talking Norwich.
Notes to editors:
- There are currently about 1000 homes licensed with the Council as being under multiple occupation.
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