Enfield Council to introduce new HMO licensing scheme

A new HMO licensing scheme is to be introduced by a London council, Enfield council, which will include smaller HMOs in a bid to crackdown on poor quality properties and landlords, also emcompassing anti-social behaviour and overcrowding. The new licensing scheme is now set to include smaller properties with three or four people from multiple households living in one property with shared facilities.

Councillor Susan Erbil who is the Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory Services said: “Enfield has an unprecedented shortage of housing and more families than ever are living in HMOs. Our evidence shows that often these homes do not meet minimum property and safety standards, with many containing serious safety hazards.” adding, “HMOs present a higher level of risk to occupants and this risk is increased when properties are poorly managed.”

Since the first began in late 2020, Enfield council stated that it received over 1,200 applications for HMO licenses, with over 1,000 being granted. However over that time, it has served 350 legal notices, imposing various fines to landlords who violated housing rules, taking action against 13 landlords, and found that 70% of the HMO's where licenses had been granted had to make improvements to meet housing and safety standards.