Landlords have been advised by the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) that applying for a multiple occupation licence (HMO) will not free them from maintaining the standards of the property in the long term.

LACORS says that local authorities will ensure that the conditions of the licence are monitored. Around 86% of councils are already working to identify those landlords with buy-to-let mortgages who are not complying with the scheme.

Emma Van Field, LACORS spokesperson, said: “The overall aim of HMO licensing is to improve property conditions and also management standards. In order to get licensed the landlord has to satisfy the local authority that he is a fit and proper person to manage the property.
“There are licence conditions that landlords have to conform to. At the moment, most local authorities are just dealing with initial applications but the licence conditions will be monitored.”