Houses in Multiple Occupation (Hansard, 22 June 1998)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Baroness Hayman)

We are determined to ensure that houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) are safe, providing acceptable living conditions and fulfilling our commitment to introduce a national licensing scheme. Work on drawing up proposals for licensing will be given priority in our plans for reforming the existing controls over HMOs. We will consult interested parties later this summer on how a licensing system should work and the standards that it should achieve.

Our objective is to ensure that all HMOs meet the highest possible standards on fire and other health and safety risks. However, we need to set standards which are achievable and do not involve unnecessary or disproportionate burdens on HMO landlords, who might otherwise withdraw their properties from the market. We need also to ensure a consistent approach with other relevant legislation, including proposals by the Home Office for a universal fire safety duty.

We have decided against introducing an interim Approved Code of Practice. We consider that our existing powers under the Housing Act 1996 do not enable us to produce an effective and workable code that would deliver the standards we want HMOs to achieve in the longer term. We are also reluctant to introduce two major changes within a relatively short period of time.

Following consultation, we intend to publish the proposed standards for a licensing system and will issue guidance to local housing authorities on their application prior to the coming into force of the licensing requirements.

Authorities which have adopted HMO registration schemes containing control provisions are likely to have 8WA similar powers under the proposed licensing scheme. We expect that they would be able to achieve most of the proposed standards. We are therefore encouraging all authorities to adopt registration schemes now to facilitate the transition to licensing.

We will be seeking views as part of our consultation on licensing on whether there should be a duty on landlords to maintain acceptable standards in addition to the licensing requirements. We will not be commencing Section 73 of the Housing Act 1996 to place a duty on HMO landlords to keep their properties fit for the number of occupants, as we do not consider this duty to be workable in its present form.