Landlords in Kent face twin licensing requirements after Medway Council confirmed plans to introduce both selective and additional licensing schemes covering an estimated 52 per cent of the borough’s private rented sector.
The unitary authority, which covers Rochester, Gillingham and Chatham, aims to launch an additional licensing scheme later this year targeting six wards with the highest concentrations of HMOs. A separate selective licensing scheme covering seven wards is planned for November.
Hazard rates double the national average
Council analysis estimates that 232 of the borough’s 1,018 HMOs – some 23 per cent – are likely to have serious hazards. This is more than double the national average of 10 per cent.
Chatham Central and Brompton has the highest predicted hazard rate at 36 per cent – nearly four times the national figure. The council received 2,154 complaints from private tenants in the seven target wards over a five-year period.
A council report states: “Our evidence shows that a high proportion of additional HMOs in Medway are being managed ineffectively, proven by the cumulative presence of serious housing hazards and complaints about poor housing conditions and inadequate property management.”
This follows Residential Landlord’s coverage of Article 4 planning controls being introduced across multiple councils, highlighting the ongoing expansion of landlord regulation.
Fees set at higher end of scale
Landlords operating within the selective licensing area would pay £840 per property. The additional licence fee for HMOs is set at £1,600 per property – at the higher end of fees charged by English councils.
Councillor Louwella Prenter, portfolio holder for housing and homelessness, said: “Everyone deserves to have a safe, secure and stable home – and bringing in these licensing schemes is another step in the right direction to ensure renters, and reputable landlords, in Medway have that protection.”
The selective scheme would cover Chatham Central and Brompton, Fort Pitt, Gillingham North, Gillingham South, Luton, Strood North and Frindsbury, and Watling.
A similar pattern of enforcement is emerging nationally, with councils increasingly using selective licensing alongside additional licensing to create overlapping regulatory frameworks.
Landlords can respond to the consultation on the Medway Council website until 31 May.
Opinion
Medway’s dual-scheme approach follows a familiar pattern – councils deploying licensing as a revenue tool while arguing it protects tenants. The £1,600 HMO fee is particularly steep and will inevitably be passed on to renters. Whether licensing actually improves property standards or simply adds to landlord costs without meaningful enforcement remains an open question.
