The requirement that all Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) in a specified area of West Bromwich need to be licenced by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council comes into effect today, (Friday 1 July 2022). This is an extension of current regulations where only some HMOs which meet certain criteria require a licence.
A list of streets affected by this requirement can be found on the council website.
And here’s the definition of what constitutes a House in Multiple Occupation for the purposes of these regulations.
If you are a landlord or person responsible for the management of an HMO in the affected area, you must ensure that you have submitted an application for a licence for any existing HMO today. Applications made later than today for HMOs already in existence on 1 July 2022 will still be accepted but making a late application will carry the risk of legal and financial penalties.
If you are creating an HMO within the affected area after the 1 July 2022, you should submit your application as soon as the HMO is created or ideally in advance.
Submit your application online here.
You don’t need a MySandwell account to apply BUT if you don’t have one, you can’t save your progress. If you wish to be able to go back to your application at any stage please log in with your MySandwell account or register for an account if you don’t already have one.
Please remember that all HMOs which meet the criteria whether or not they are in the specified area of West Bromwich still require a licence.
Please also remember that all HMOs of whatever size and in whatever location, whether or not they are licensable are still required to meet the conditions set out in the HMO management regulations.
Failure to obtain a licence of any HMO when required can result in penalties of up to £30,000. Any breach or breaches of HMO management regulations can also result in substantial civil penalties.
Saarika
The Sandwell Landlords Blog 