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Agenda and minutes
Venue: Muriel Matters House, Breeds Place, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 3UY
Contact: Michael Courts on 01424 451764 email mcourts@hastings.gov.uk
Items No. Item Declarations of Interest
Minutes:
The following Councillors declared an interest in the minutes:
Councillor
Minute
Interest
Chowney
38 – 2nd anniversary review of the Private Rented Sector Selective Licensing Scheme
Prejudicial - he owns a licensed property
Forward
38 – 2nd anniversary review of the Private Rented Sector Selective Licensing Scheme
Prejudicial – she owns a rental property
Forward
39 – Report on New Additional Licensing Scheme
Prejudicial – she owns a property which may be suitable for use as a HMO in the future
Minutes of the meeting held on 4 September 2017 and 11 September 2017 PDF 63 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
RESOLVED that the minutes of the Cabinet meetings held on 4 September 2017 and 11 September 2017 be approved and signed by the chair as a correct record
Minutes of the Museums Committee meeting held on 19 June 2017 and 11 September 2017 PDF 88 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Chair moved this item up the agenda.
The minutes of the Museums Committee meetings held on 19 June 2017 and 11 September 2017 were submitted.
RESOLVED that the minutes of the Charity Committee meeting held on 20 March 2017 be received and agreed
2nd anniversary review of the Private Rented Sector Selective Licensing Scheme PDF 196 KB
(Cabinet Decision)
Minutes:
Councillors Chowney and Forward, having declared a prejudicial interest in this matter, left the chamber for this item. Councillor Fitzgerald took the chair.
The Housing Renewal Manager presented the report of the Assistant Director, Housing and Built Environment, which reviewed performance of the private rented sector selective licensing scheme, which had reached its second anniversary. The report made recommendations on the future operation of the scheme.
In March 2015, Cabinet had approved a selective licensing scheme for private rented accommodation across 7 wards in the borough. The scheme came into force on 28 October 2015, for a 5 year period. The council had undertaken a review to assess how the scheme was performing against the key outcomes of reducing anti-social behaviour, improving housing conditions for private tenants, improving management standards and reducing the number of empty properties. However, it was noted that there was unlikely to be significant improvement in any of these outcomes after only two years of operation of the scheme.
To date, the council had received over 6,000 applications for selective licensing and issued over 5,000 licenses, exceeding the projections set out in the original business plan. An early bird rate had been offered for landlords who came forward to licence their properties at the start of the scheme. Enforcement action has also been taken with regard to landlords who had not yet come forward to licence their properties.
The scheme is intended to be cost neutral to the council at the end of its 5 years of operation. Following the review it was intended to increase the application fee for any remaining licenses. The council was also considering a new licensing scheme for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO). If this goes ahead, there may be an opportunity to transfer existing staff from selective licensing to operate the new HMO licensing scheme.
Councillor Batsford proposed approval of the recommendations to the Assistant Director, Housing and Built Environment’s report, which was seconded by Councillor Lee.
RESOLVED (unanimously) that:
1. The progress of the scheme is noted, and;
2. The proposed revised licence fee structure, set out at appendix 2 to the report, is adopted
The reason for this decision was:
A review of the selective licensing of all private rented accommodation across 7 wards in the borough has identified that the licence fee previously adopted for the scheme on 30 March 2015 is insufficient to ensure the scheme meets a stated aim to be cost neutral to the council at its completion and as such an increase in fee for those properties presently unlicensed is required.
Report on New Additional Licensing Scheme PDF 136 KB
(Cabinet Decision)
Additional documents:
- Appendix 1 - Proposal to implement an additional HMO licensing scheme for Hastings , item 39. PDF 1 MB
- Appendix 2 - Proposed Amenity Standards , item 39. PDF 166 KB
- Appendix 3 - Proposed HMO licensing scheme fees and charges , item 39. PDF 57 KB
- Appendix 4 - Business Plan , item 39. PDF 47 KB
- Public Notice of designation , item 39. PDF 97 KB
- The Hastings Borough Council Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation 2018 , item 39. PDF 416 KB
Minutes:
Councillor Forward, having previously declared a prejudicial interest in this item, was not present in the chamber.
The Housing Renewal Manager presented the report of the Assistant Director, Housing and Built Environment, for Cabinet to consider proposals for adopting an additional licensing scheme for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) in Braybrooke, Castle, Central St Leonards and Gensing wards.
Hastings has a high concentration of HMOs. Whilst many of the properties are well managed and kept in good repair, there are a significant number that are not considered acceptable.
The council operated an additional HMO licensing scheme between September 2011 and October 2016 in four wards. An exit review of the scheme found a number of successes, including improvements to the condition of the properties. However, a further stock condition survey, carried out in summer 2016, found that some HMOs remained in a poor condition, and in some cases lacked suitable management and safety arrangements.
A new additional licensing scheme has been developed, based on examples of good practice from other authorities. The new scheme is intended to incentivise landlords to carry out improvements to their properties by offering options for a 1, 3 and 5 year licence depending on the condition of the property and the management arrangements in place. A new online application form would also be developed. The council was permitted to charge a fee to cover the costs of administering the scheme and issuing the licenses.
An 11 week public consultation on the proposed scheme had been held earlier in the year, which included events to engage with local landlords. No significant objections to the proposal had been received through the consultation.
The Housing Renewal Manager advised of an amendment to recommendation 1 of the report, as set out in the resolution below, to include a delegated authority for the Chief Legal Officer to make any minor amendments to the scheme. The date the designation will come into force was also amended from 1 April 2018 to 4 May 2018, to coincide with changes to ward boundaries which will also come into effect at the same time.
Councillor Batsford proposed approval of the amended recommendations to the Assistant Director, Housing and Built Environment’s report, which was seconded by Councillor Beaney.
RESOLVED (unanimously) that:
1. Cabinet approves and adopts the Hastings Borough Council Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses in Mulitple Occupation 2017 Scheme. Delegate authority is given to the Chief Legal Officer to make minor amendments to the scheme as necessary;
2. The designation is made on 10 October 2017 and comes into force on 4 May 2018 and lasts for a period of 5 years from that date;
3. The principles underpinning the licensing conditions and amenity standards proposed in appendix 2 to the report are agreed;
4. The proposed fee structure at appendix 3 to the report is noted and delegated authority is given to the Director of Operational Services in consultation with the Housing and Leisure Portfolio Holder to finalise ... view the full minutes text for item 39.
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