27th
Nov 2015
Oxford council launched their licensing scheme for HMOs in 2011 and it has been slated as a ‘complete failure’, due to the small numbers of prosecutions over the last four years.
The council implemented the scheme as more than 50% of houses in multiple occupation were not registered, because of this the council also spent £3.5 million on housing stock in an effort to raise the quality of rental ‘homes’.
There are approximately 7,000 HMOs in Oxford which accounts for 21,000 people living in this type of accommodation, however landlords who did not sign up to the scheme could face a £5,000 fine; to date there has only been 50 prosecutions.
The main reason is that the council has not followed up its threat with a concerted plan of enforcement.
An industry association’s spokesman, said: “I think it’s a complete failure by the council, both on the good landlords and for the tenants that are having to live in substandard housing. We want the criminals prosecuted and we want tenants living in good accommodation. It’s having a massive impact on housing costs in Oxford, its driving rents up and driving people out. It’s not thought through, it’s not financed property and people are still living in poor conditions.”
Bob Price the council leader said: “We have a team of inspectors but we do have to take into account that we don’t have a complete register. We rely on the public to tell us that next door to them has been taken over by a landlord and has become an HMO. What we do, also, is take particular streets and look through the register of electors, we look at the council tax register and that also gives us indications of problems we can look at.”
The licensing scheme has been changed and is in force until 2021.
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