Haringey Council is set to review its licensing of Homes in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) following a report in The Guardian newspaper. The decision was made at a Full Council meeting on Monday, 24 November 2025, where councillors discussed a motion concerning rented homes in the borough, proposed by the Liberal Democrat group.
The motion highlighted concerns that, unlike Enfield or Barnet, Haringey does not inspect HMOs for safety before granting licences to landlords. The Guardian report claimed that Haringey Council has arranged for residents to be placed in rooms on shorthold tenancies in an HMO that had neither planning permission to be an HMO, nor been granted a licence as an HMO, and that the property had been subject to enforcement and court action by the council where the landlord was found guilty.
The council resolved to take several actions, including:
- Ending the practice of treating HMO licenses as if granted on application.
- Holding the highest standards for the
fit and proper person
test. Landlords who fail this test should not be eligible for any form of housing license within Haringey, and should not be able to bypass the test by applying for a license via a managing agent or other third-party entity. - Altering the licensing scheme to ensure that the council proactively inspects every HMO for compliance before a license is granted.
- Immediately reviewing all properties with a HMO license or Selective License to ensure they have the requisite planning permission.
- Ensuring that the council does not place residents in properties lacking the required planning permission or licenses.
- Providing residents with clear information about their rights and how to report problems.
- Increasing the use of fines and rent-repayment orders to cover increased enforcement activity.
- Inspecting properties when safety concerns are reported and issuing improvement notices within 14 days.
- Minimising evictions by advertising options for the council to manage or purchase properties.
- Reporting progress on these measures quarterly on the council website and providing an annual update to the Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel.
The council aims to minimise evictions while enforcing housing standards by advertising options for the council to manage or purchase properties.
The council's decision comes amid growing scrutiny of housing standards in the private rented sector, with increased responsibilities being placed on councils to enforce higher standards following the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and Awaab's Law. The council will publish figures relevant to this motion on a quarterly basis on a suitable page of the Council website.
The Full Council meeting also covered a range of other topics, including recognition of the Latin American community, Thames Water, licensing policy, rough sleeping, and questions to cabinet members on community regeneration and library importance. Details of these discussions will be covered in separate reports.
