Landlords savage Coventry council as it proceeds with expanded HMO scheme despite Coronavirus

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The NRLA says it is ‘irresponsible’ to proceed with the planned scheme due to go live on May 4th as it will endanger both landlords and inspectors and its introduction paused until after the crisis.

Plans to expand Coventry’s HMO licensing scheme during the Coronavirus crisis have been described as irresponsible by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA).

The city is due to implement an expansion of its HMO scheme on May 4^th which will usher in regulation of an extra 4,000 properties including smaller HMOs.

Landlords of houses occupied by three or four tenants and all properties converted to self-contained flats that are wholly tenanted will be required to apply to the council for an HMO licence.

But the government last week issued guidance urging local authorities to delay implementing new or expanded schemes. Despite this, Coventry is to proceed, prompting the NRLA to write directly to the council and demand a delay.

“The guidelines are there to protect tenants and landlords from unnecessary contact,” says Chris Norris, its Policy Director.

“Where a licensing scheme is introduced,
landlords have to go into their properties to check that they meet the
licensing obligation and maybe need to carry out non-essential works. This
exposes them and the tenants to an enhanced risk of contagion.

“Several local authorities have done the right thing and paused the introduction of new licensing schemes in response to the crisis including Luton and Newcastle and we are asking Coventry to do the same.

‘Thoroughly irresponsible’

“It would be thoroughly irresponsible of the Council to ignore the guidelines and go ahead with their plans.”

Coventry initially tried to implement a city-wide selective licensing scheme but, after a consultation, decided not to proceed.

Instead, an Additional Licensing scheme for smaller HMOs was approved and it is this that is now due to go live.

The councils says: “Landlords will not have to perform any additional works or alterations to their properties as a result of their properties becoming licensable. 

“However, they will need to ensure that all of their HMO properties meet the relevant standards of fire safety and amenity provision.”

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