Confusion hits Southwark Council’s selective licence application system 24 hours before early bird fee discount ends

Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 - London Property Licensing

Landlords racing to complete selective licence applications before the selective licence early bird discount ends on 31 January 2024 are experiencing some issues in Southwark.

Twenty four hours before the application deadline, the council have altered how landlords can access the online application system.

Whereas the council’s website directs people to the council’s property licensing portal, London Property Licensing found the licence application system was no longer listed on the My Southwark menu and could not be found. A council spokesperson later explained service users might need to clear browser history to access the new link.  

London Property Licensing tried phoning the council’s property licensing team but found the advertised telephone number unavailable.

In response to an urgent email, an automated response explained the way of accessing the online system had been changed. A further helpful response from the team reiterated the same message and explained the application system could be accessed via a new link and the applicant’s password must be reset to restore access. 

Southwark Council’s automated email response:

As a result of these technical issues, Southwark Council extended their early bird fee discount by 48 hours, and have since extended it again until Sunday 4 February.

Richard Tacagni, MD, London Property Licensing commented:

“Property licensing applications can be stressful to complete at the best of times. Changing an online application system 24 hours before an application deadline is never a good idea, especially if the message is not well communicated.

“Fortunately, we have managed to navigate these hurdles and submitted five licence applications for a client earlier today, paying the lower application fee and saving our client over £1,000.”

Our free guide containing more information about property licensing and HMO planning restrictions in the London Borough of Southwark is available here.

For all the latest news and events, you can sign up for the free London Property Licensing newsletter here.