Coventry City Council are set to launch a 12-week consultation on proposals to renew the city-wide additional licensing scheme for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) to improve the management and living conditions for tenants.
The consultation will give landlords, tenants and other residents the chance to have their say on how the Council plans to improve housing management and conditions as well as on measures to reduce crime.
A house in multiple occupation, or HMO, is a property, or part of a property, shared by three or more people who are not members of the same family. Tenants usually share at least one facility such a as kitchen, sink or toilet. It can also include shared flats within a larger building.
Coventry has among the highest number of this type of property compared to other local authorities in England and Wales – around 6,800 or 26% in the private rented sector.
Cllr David Welsh, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, said: “Houses in multiple occupation are part of the housing mix and if they are well managed and well looked after they can be a real positive for the people that live in them.
“We think our additional licensing scheme, introduced it in 2020, has helped us to improve standards for tenants and for people living nearby and its work we want to continue.
“There are many good landlords in Coventry running private rented HMOs but there are also landlords who don’t maintain their properties to the standard we, and local people, would expect.
“This is why we want to extend the city-wide additional licensing for a further five years from 2025 to 2030, so I hope people will take some time to have their say.”
Councillors approved the plans at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 13 February.
The consultation is planned to start on Monday 26 February till Friday 17 May 2024.