Additional licensing scheme renewal given go ahead in Denbighshire

Denbighshire County Council Cabinet has approved a proposal to renew additional licensing for HMOs in Rhyl and expand it to Denbigh, Llangollen, and Prestatyn.

The scheme will commence on the 1st December 2020 and will run for a maximum of five years until the 30th November 2025 unless it is extended or revoked before then.

The decision follows the Council’s consultation which ran from March to May this year. The scheme is currently not in place after it expired during the coronavirus pandemic.

The NRLA answered the consultation to stress the deficiencies of additional licensing, especially in Wales where Rent Smart Wales (RSW) already acts as the country’s “single licensing authority”, including why it doesn’t work as bad landlords will not volunteer themselves for the expensive scheme.

However, the NRLA was able to secure some changes as a result of their engagement:

• The Council acknowledged that the past two schemes “have not fully addressed the waste problem” and have consulted their waste management team for a forward work plan.
• After the NRLA highlighted that the arbitrary rule that a licensee would need to live within an hour of the property contradicted the RSW 200-mile rule, the Council agreed to match the RSW requirement.
• The NRLA secured greater clarity in the fees document on being able to pay in two instalments and other changes so the Council is compliant with recent court rulings.

More information on this scheme can be read online here.