Council wants residents to report allegedly-unlicensed HMOs

A council has taken the unusual step of making an announcement that investigations are underway into allegedly unlicensed private rental properties.

Cambridge council has made the announcement following press queries about the licensing of HMOs in the university city.

The statement says: “In response to an enquiry from the media we issued the following response about the work that is ongoing to identify and investigate unlicensed landlords (of HMOs) in Cambridge. 

“Councillor Gerri Bird, Executive Councillor for Housing, said: ‘We have licensed over 450 HMOs since 2018, and this year we have actually proactively expanded our work to identify any other HMOs which should be licensed. 

“Once we have identified suspected licensable HMOs, we need to investigate each one to confirm whether they are in fact eligible to be licensed, including through visiting individual properties. 

“This all takes time but work is underway and ongoing.

“If a tenant thinks they live in an HMO or is considering signing a contract to move into a HMO, please check with us whether they are licensed. If tenants have any concerns that their home may be an unlicensed HMO, let us know ASAP and this information will enable us to investigate as a priority.”   

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