News
Redbridge Council’s additional licensing scheme has ended
An additional licensing scheme for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in the London Borough of Redbridge ended on 12 April 2022.
The borough wide scheme, which started on 13 April 2017, had extended licensing to all HMOs occupied by three or more people, including so-called ‘section 257 HMOs’. Whilst the scheme has ended, licences issued under the old scheme remain in force until the expiry date printed on the licence.
For new licence applications and renewals, the mandatory HMO licensing scheme still applies to most HMOs occupied by five or more people. There are also two selective licensing schemes that cover all private rented accommodation within the designated areas.
Selective licensing in Redbridge
The first selective licensing scheme extends licensing to all private rented accommodation in the council wards of Clementswood and Valentines. That scheme was implemented in July 2017 and ends on 12 July 2022.
The second selective licensing scheme extends licensing to all private rented accommodation in in an area broadly defined by the council wards of Goodmayes, Loxford, Snaresbrook, Roding, Newbury, Mayfield, Cranbrook, Seven Kings, Chadwell, Fairlop, Aldborough and Church End. That scheme was implemented in October 2018 and ends on 30 October 2023.
Since the selective licensing schemes were introduced, some ward boundaries have changed which makes the process more complicated. To check if your property is within the selective licensing area, you can use the interactive map on the council’s website.
Next steps for licensing in Redbridge
A public consultation on proposals to renew the additional licensing scheme took place from 13 December 2021 to 7 March 2022 (read here). The council are currently considering all the consultation responses and will publish a further update in due course.
Any new additional licensing scheme requires a scheme designation to be made at least three months before the scheme starts. In practice, this means the earliest start date for a new scheme would be August 2022.
Our free guide containing more information about property licensing and HMO planning restrictions in the London Borough of Redbridge is available here.
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