Southampton City Council launches consultation on new HMO licensing scheme
Southampton City Council’s Cabinet has approved the launch of a twelve-week public consultation on introducing a new licensing scheme to further raise and maintain standards of houses in multiple occupation (HMO) across parts of the city
The council is proposing to designate an additional HMO licensing scheme, which will result in all smaller HMOs in certain parts of the city being required to meet higher safety standards.
Through licensing, the council will be able to ensure that HMOs are safer and better managed, reducing their impact on local neighbourhoods. The council will also be focusing on addressing residents’ concerns around noise nuisance, anti-social behaviour, and waste.
Previous licensing schemes that operated between 2013 and 2023 have been instrumental in raising standards and improving safety in the majority of HMO stock within the city. This has led to a significantly reduced number of complaints from tenants and nearby residents.
The new scheme is proposing to cover the wards of:
- Banister and Polygon
- Bargate
- Bassett
- Bevois
- Freemantle
- Millbrook
- Portswood
- Shirley
- Swaythling
The consultation will run from Tuesday 3 December 2024 until 24 February 2025. Cabinet will then consider the outcome of the consultation in March 2025. If successful, the proposed areas will be subject to licensing from May 2025.
There are currently around 2,500 properties that fall under mandatory HMO licensing across the city. The proposed additional scheme would double the number of properties that have to operate under licensing conditions.
Councillor Lorna Fielker, Leader of Southampton City Council, said:
“We are committed to ensuring that all residents in Southampton have access to a good quality home. Our previous HMO licenses have been warmly welcomed by residents, as it offers reassurances that their homes must meet a good standard. We are always looking at ways to improve the quality of all accommodation across the city, and this scheme plays an important part in achieving that.”
Councillor Andy Frampton, Cabinet member for Housing at Southampton City Council, added:
“Ensuring that residents across the city have access to good, safe housing is a key priority for the council. We have previously seen the benefit of these schemes in raising standards, reducing complaints and giving tenants the security of a good home.”
