Harrow Council is set to launch a consultation on Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing and selective licensing in the Wealdstone and Edgware areas, aiming to improve housing standards and reduce anti-social behaviour.
The decision to consult on the licensing schemes was made during a Cabinet meeting on 24 July 2025. The proposal includes updating HMO and selective licensing conditions, expanding selective licensing to additional wards, and launching a 10-week public consultation starting 1 August 2025.
The council's decision to propose extending selective licensing to Greenhill, Marlborough, and Roxeth was informed by a review of data on deprivation levels, anti-social behaviour (ASB) incidents, crime rates, and housing conditions, as detailed in the selective licence review. This review indicated that these areas would benefit significantly from the scheme.
Currently, selective licensing applies in Edgware, North Wealdstone and South Wealdstone. Following the review, the council is proposing to extend the scheme to cover Greenhill, Marlborough, and Roxeth.
The proposed changes to HMO license conditions will require landlords to:
- Keep tenants records (names and date of births)
- Report suspected subletting
- Provide written complaints procedure
- Respond to council or police within five days of antisocial behaviour issues
- Complete urgent electrical repairs within 28 days
- Submit gas electric meters inspection reports
Selective licence conditions will include additional antisocial behaviour and nuisance conditions which align with the HMO standards, detailed in Proposed SL Conditions 2025. Additional new property management requirements will also be added.
Landlords who fail to meet the new HMO and selective licensing conditions could face enforcement actions, including rent repayment orders, prosecution for a breach of license conditions, civil penalty notices of up to £30,000, and/or revocation of the license.
At the Cabinet meeting, Councillor Kanti Rabadia declared a pecuniary interest in item 14, as he held an interest in property within the area mentioned in the officer's report, and left the room whilst the matter was considered and voted upon.
The consultation aims to gather feedback from residents, landlords, tenants, agents, and local businesses. The council will use online platforms, in-person events at Harrow libraries, conversation cafes, and forums to facilitate engagement. The findings will shape the final implementation of the licensing updates.
The proposed licensing framework offers a range of social and operational benefits, including improved housing quality and tenant safety, reduced anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping, ensuring landlords are fit and proper, fostering health equity and community cohesion, and enabling enforcement actions where necessary. Requiring landlords to adhere to structured complaint procedures and rapid repair timelines also empowers tenants to encourage more proactive property stewardship.
Licensing fees, currently at £752 for five years under the selective licensing scheme, are reviewed annually for cost recovery. Any expansion will likely require additional staffing, funded through these fees without burdening council taxpayers. A proposed timeline for the scheme's progression is detailed below.
According to Appendix 7 – Proposed Timeline, the timeline for the scheme's progression includes:
- 24th July 2025: Cabinet
- 1st August 2025: Out for Consultation for a period of 10 weeks
- 17th September 2025: Landlords Forum at the HCH
- 10th October 2025: Consultation closes and review of responses
- 13th November 2025: Cabinet paper following consultation
- 1st March 2026: Proposed expanded/extended scheme starts.
If selective licensing is continued/extended, then it is important that data is monitored every six-months, to demonstrate the improvements made by the scheme over the period. Data should include datasets from: ASB, Housing Conditions, Deprivation, Enforcement Action.
The Public reports pack includes a map of Harrow showing the percentage of private renters in different areas, highlighting current selective licensing areas.
