Additional Licensing Scheme 2025

On 13 February 2024 the Council’s Cabinet approved recommendations to conduct a statutory consultation on proposals to designate the whole of its area as subject to additional licensing for HMOs under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004.

The consultation commenced on 26 February 2024 and ended on 17 May 2024.

The response to this consultation was beyond the Council's expectations and resulted in overwhelming support for the designation of Additional Licensing of HMOs in Coventry.

A further report, including the results of the consultation and the structure of the scheme was submitted to Full Council on 3 September 2024 recommending that it designates all HMOs in the City subject to additional licensing for five years. The Council resolved to agree with all the recommendations.

The designation was made on the 7 October 2024 for the new scheme which will commence on 4 May 2025 and will cease to have effect on 3 May 2030 or earlier if the Council revokes the scheme.

The new scheme will take effect from 4 May 2025 the designation and Scheme applies to:

1. Any HMO which is occupied by three or four occupiers irrespective of the number of storeys; and
2. Any HMO defined under section 257 of the Housing Act 2004 that are mainly or wholly tenanted, including those with resident landlords, but not those that are:
   1. a section 257 HMO consisting solely of two flats where neither of the flats is situated above or below commercial premises; or
   2. a section 257 HMO where the flats share no internal or external common parts, and which are no more than two storeys high.