Nottingham City Council is proposing another new licensing scheme for landlords in a move which one industry representative has branded "astonishing". The authority is preparing a scheme which will apply to landlords of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO), defined as a private rented property shared by three or more people from more than one household.
The concept involves the council requiring landlords of HMOs to obtain a licence for their rented properties, with such a scheme having first been introduced in parts of Nottingham nearly ten years ago. But the new scheme, which would run for five years if approved, will apply across the city.
The council said its current scheme has had a positive impact on HMOs, including in areas such as insufficient waste management and anti-social behaviour. But Giles Inman, business development manager at EMPO, the largest landlord's association in the East Midlands, questioned the need for another scheme.
