Council plans to roll out more HMO licensing

Councillors are ready to roll licensing for small shared houses across most of Tottenham after running a pilot scheme. Haringey Council proposes to crackdown on antisocial behaviour, parking and rubbish problems after complaints in several neighbourhoods. The additional licensing scheme will cover: ● All bedsit or shared houses where three or more tenants live in two or more households. The number of storeys in the property will not be relevant ● Properties converted into self-contained flats that do not meet building regulations, where the number of units is more than the number of storeys and where the entire block and all the units in the block are in single ownership ● All houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) of three persons or more above shops The licensing scheme will cover Northumberland Park, Bruce Grove, Tottenham Green, Tottenham Hale and Seven Sisters neighbourhoods. Councillor Nilgun Canver, Haringey’s cabinet member for environment, said: “Residents have told us that unlicensed and unregulated HMOs can lead to problems in their streets with rubbish disposal, noise and anti-social behaviour. “We also know that tenants in these HMOs are often vulnerable and have few choices as to where they live and would benefit from the improved standards that licensing would bring. “Licensing will compel landlords to comply with minimum standards and health and fire regulations. It also provides for the council to refuse a licence where a landlord is not thought fit.” The council argues that more than half of private housing complaints are generated by the neighbourhoods where the additional licensing scheme is planned. No indication of costs is listed in the consultation papers. The consultation runs until 30 November - for more information go to www.haringey.gov.uk/additional-hmo-licensing.

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