Enforcement threat next week for new city-wide licensing scheme

Oxford council is proclaiming its citywide licensing scheme as a success - and claims it is processing more than 10,000 licence applications.

The all-city scheme came into effect on September 1 with a three month grace period - meaning all privately rented homes in the university city now require a licence.

The early bird period ended on 30 November and a standard fee of £480 for a five year licence now applies during the first year of the scheme. A higher rate fee of £1,100 will apply from September 2023 unless a home is newly rented within 12 weeks of the date of application.

Landlords and agents made 5,893 complete licence applications during the first three months. The largest letting agents also submitted details of a further 4,200 homes during this period.

This meant that the early bird period accounted for 10,093 licence applications – considerably more than the 7,500 applications the council was targeting.

Before September this year only HMOs in Oxford required a licence to operate, though these make up less than 15 per cent of private rented homes in the city. Now, Oxford is the only council in the country requiring a licence for all private rented homes.

The council says it will begin looking for unlicensed homes from January 2023 - that’s just next week - and landlords and agents may then be at risk of enforcement action. The council can issue financial penalties of up to £30,000 and the courts have the power to impose unlimited fines for unlicensed homes.

“We’re dealing with more than 10,000 licence applications and that’s great news for tenants and the majority of responsible landlords and agents. If you’re a landlord or agent who hasn’t applied yet you’ve missed the early bird but don’t miss the boat. Everyone should have a decent home and your tenants deserve the confidence of knowing that theirs is safe, in good condition and well managed” says Councillor Linda Smith, cabinet member for housing.

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