The Council has revised and updated the licence conditions for HMO (part 2) and Selective (part 3 licences).
Most changes are relatively minor, but there is one that is more significant which is the requirement for a written waste management plan (see Dealing with rubbish in the below link).
The conditions will, in general only apply to new licences, they will not be applied retrospectively. There may be some properties where we are having some of these issues and we would want to propose the new conditions on the licence holder and in that case the licence can be ‘varied’, and this will go through the normal licence variation process.
We will be issuing full guidance to help landlords comply with the condition in the coming weeks.
In summary the main changes are below:
Fire Detection Systems, Smoke Alarms & Emergency Escape Lighting
- Adding a new condition to ensure escape lighting is kept in working order. Amendment to condition for fire detection testing (HMO licences only)
Property Management
- Minor amendments to language to make it clearer what is required
Property Inspections
- Requirement for a copy of written records of property inspections to be kept
Dealing with rubbish
- An amendment to the conditions about the number bins required for number of occupants in a property.
- Requirement for a written waste management plan and what it should contain to manage waste before, during and at the end of tenancy and when the property is empty. This is condition 19 on the HMO (part 2) licence and condition 15 on the individual property (part 3) licences. There is some guidance in the appendix to the conditions to give the licence holder some ideas of what they should consider. The Council is currently developing further guidance for licence holders to help them comply with this too.
- To maintain records of waste carriers used to dispose of refuse and how commercial / trade waste should be dealt with
Tenancy Management
- Added a requirement for a copy of the waste management plan to be in the information pack provided to tenants
Block licence conditions
There are 7 new conditions that will apply to block licences only – there is a separate policy for block licences which was introduced in 2019.
- Where sprinkler and/or suppression systems are in place to the building, it shall be kept in proper working order, in accordance with the relevant British Standards. A record must be kept and shall be provided within seven (7) days of the Council’s demand.
- A Fire Strategy must be in place for the building, this must detail how the building will react in the event of a fire, and determine the action that must be taken to ensure the safety of the occupants. The Fire Strategy must be documented and include a clear set of measures encompassing fire precautions, management of fire safety and fire protection. The Fire Strategy must be kept and shall be provided within seven (7) days of the Council’s demand.
- Where Automatic Opening Vents (Natural/Mechanical) are in place to remove smoke from the building, it shall be kept in proper working order, in accordance with the relevant British Standards. A record must be kept and shall be provided within seven (7) days of the Council’s demand.
- Where wet or dry risers are in place to the building, they shall be kept in proper working order, in accordance with the relevant British Standards. A record must be kept and shall be provided within seven (7) days of the Council’s demand.
- Where the building is served by lift/s that are for the use of fire fighting, ensure that the lift/s are kept in a safe condition and proper working order, in accordance with the relevant British Standards. A log is to be maintained of any times when a lift/lifts are non-operational.
- Where fire refuges are in place, and communication systems installed in the building, they shall be kept in proper working order, in accordance with the relevant British Standards. A record must be kept and shall be provided within seven (7) days of the Council’s demand.
- Where required Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEP’s) must be implemented for occupants that need assistance in the event of an emergency to reach a place of total safety. A record of all PEEP’s must be maintained and shall be provided within seven (7) days of the Council’s demand.