Yes, from 28 May to 21 August 2019, the council consulted on plans to implement borough wide additional and selective licensing schemes. You can find out more information on the council’s website.
On 11 March 2020, the council approved plans for borough wide additional and selective licensing schemes and the Cabinet report can be read here. The council will need approval from the Secretary of State to implement the selective licensing scheme. The start date for the additional licensing scheme has not yet been confirmed. This may have been delayed due to the pandemic.
Prior to that, a more restricted additional licensing scheme was introduced on 11 February 2017, although the implementation process did not run very smoothly. We will explain.
On 19 May 2015, a private rented sector licensing report was presented to Lewisham Council’s Housing Select Committee. The report set out proposals for an additional licensing scheme covering flats above commercial properties. This is where council officers say they have found the very worst housing conditions. The scheme was anticipated to cover about 1,800 properties containing 4,200 lettings.
On 15 July 2015, a proposal to consult on an additional licensing scheme was approved by Mayor and Cabinet (read here - see item 242).
Interestingly, the report confirmed there was no evidence of a link between the poorest private rented accommodation and anti-social behaviour, so the council had no plans to proceed with selective licensing of all private rented homes at that time.
Lewisham Council conducted a licensing consultation from 2 September to 24 November 2015.
On 2 March 2016, a report was presented to the Mayor and Cabinet meeting (read here), recommending a borough wide additional licensing scheme for all Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) above commercial premises and the recommendation was approved.
The report also noted proposals to dramatically increase the HMO licensing fees from £180 to £500, ‘per let unit’, increasing a licence for a 5-bed property for five single person lettings from £900 to £2,500, an increase of 278%!
In June 2016, Lewisham Council published a public notice announcing the licensing scheme that was set to come into force on 23 September 2016. However, due to errors in the implementation process, it was subsequently withdrawn.
A further report was presented to Mayor and Cabinet on 9 November 2016 (read here) and a replacement additional licensing public notice was published the following day. The scheme finally started on 11 February 2017.
There is clearly a lot going on at Lewisham so we will monitor the situation closely and keep you posted. For all the latest developments, you can sign up to our free newsletter.