There are currently three licensing schemes operating in Redbridge so you need to study the details carefully.
One selective licensing scheme started on 13 July 2017 and a second scheme started on 1 October 2018. There is also the mandatory HMO licensing scheme that applies throughout England.
Redbridge Council did have an additional licensing scheme but that ended on 12 April 2022.
We will help you choose the right licence for your property.
1. Mandatory HMO licence
You will need a mandatory HMO licence if your property meets the standard test, self-contained flat test or converted building test HMO definition in section 254 of the Housing Act 2004 and is occupied by five or more people.
But what are these tests and what does this mean in practice? It means you need a licence for any house or flat that is occupied by five or more people who are not all related and live in the property as their main home. For example, it includes:
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Shared houses and flats occupied by students and young professionals;
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Properties converted into bedsits with some shared facilities; and
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Properties converted into a mixture of self-contained and non self-contained accommodation.
Prior to 1 October 2018, the mandatory HMO licensing scheme only applied to properties that were three or more storeys in height, but that restriction has now been lifted.
The government have decided to exclude purpose built self-contained flats within a block comprising three or more self-contained flats from the mandatory HMO licensing scheme. While this will be good news for some landlords, it does make the licensing scheme far more complicated.
To find out more, you can read our free guide to mandatory HMO licensing (here).
2. Selective Licence
The first selective licensing scheme came into force on 13 July 2017 and continues for five years until 12 July 2022.
You need a selective licence if your property (house or flat) is let out to a single person, couple or single household and is in the council wards of Clementswood or Valentines. The scheme also covers any HMOs not already licensed under the mandatory HMO or additional licensing schemes.
The second selective licensing scheme came into force on 1 October 2018 and continues for five years until 30 September 2023.
This second scheme applies if your property (house or flat) is let out to a single person, couple or single household and is within an area broadly defined by the council wards of Goodmayes, Loxford, Snaresbrook, Roding, Newbury, Mayfield, Cranbrook, Seven Kings, Chadwell, Fairlop, Aldborough and Church End. The scheme also covers any HMOs not already licensed under the mandatory HMO or additional licensing schemes.
Unfortunately, there is a further complication in that the scheme was based on the ward boundaries that existed at the time the decision was made to implement the scheme. Some of the ward boundaries are now different. To be sure if your property is within the selective licensing area, you should use the interactive map on the council’s website and search for your address.
3. Additional licence
The additional licensing scheme ran from 13 April 2017 to 12 April 2022 but has now ended. Redbridge Council recently consulted on plans for a new additional licensing scheme (read here) and we await a decision on whether the scheme will be renewed.
This old scheme applied to Houses in Multiple Occupation that were not covered by the mandatory HMO licensing scheme. It included house and flat-shares occupied by three or four people who were not all related. The scheme also included so-called 'section 257 HMOs’.