Selective Licensing Fees

Fees for period 1st May 2012 to 31st March 2013

Following an extensive consultation, certain areas of Cliftonville West and Margate Central were designated as a selective licensing area on Wednesday 12 January 2011 by Thanet District Council’s Cabinet. Full details of the scheme, including why it has been introduced, can be found here.

The designation became operative on 21 April 2011 and will last for five years. From this date, every residential property which is privately let to one or more tenants within the designated area must be licensed, unless it is subject to exemption. 

Licence applications must be accompanied by the correct fee. The fee structure set out below applies from 01 May 2012 to 31 March 2013.

• Map of the designated area and list of road names affected
• Pdf of Selective Licencing Fees 2012-2013 (671kb, pdf)

New Applications

Example fee calculation: Landlord A owns the freehold interest in a building containing five self-contained flats. Flats 1, 2 and 3 are not subject to a lease and are let by Landlord A on assured shorthold tenancies. The other two flats are owned by long leaseholders. Flat 4 is owner-occupied by the long leaseholder; as such, there is no requirement to apply for a licence for that flat. Flat 5 is owned by a leaseholder, Landlord B, who sub-lets the flat to a tenant on an assured shorthold tenancy. Landlord A can apply for one licence for the entire building which excludes Flats 4 and 5. If Landlord A is an accredited landlord, he will be charged £442 for the first flat and £249 for each additional flat. The total cost will therefore be £940. Landlord B will need to apply for a licence for Flat 5, which would cost £442 if he was an accredited landlord.

IMPORTANT: The multiple flat discount only applies to a landlord owning more than one flat in a single building. It does not apply in general to a landlord who owns more than one flat in separate buildings.

Notes

1. For the purposes of selective licensing, an accredited landlord is a landlord who is accredited with the Kent Landlord Accreditation Scheme (KLAS). KLAS is delivered through the UK Landlord Accreditation Partnership. A landlord who is accredited with the National Landlords Association (NLA) may also benefit from the discount if they have attended, or commit to attending within 12 months, a suitable training course of at least four hour duration.
2. In this context, a non-self-contained flat is a flat which does not share any rooms or amenities, but requires the occupier to pass through a communal area to access different parts of their accommodation.
3. A landlord who owns the freehold interest of the premises concerned and lets one or more flats within it can apply for one licence to cover all flats under their control; however, a landlord who owns multiple flats in a building but does not own the freehold will need to make a separate licence application for each flat. The multiple flat discount is available in both circumstances.

Do you own more than 10 properties that need a licence?

We may be able to offer an alternative payment method if you have a portfolio which comprises 10 or more properties in the area.

In normal circumstances, the full fee is paid upfront and a licence granted for five years. However, for larger portfolio holders we may accept applications without full payment at the initial application stage. Subject to our agreement, we will accept an initial fee based on 20% of the full cost. Thus, if you have say 10 flats within different buildings, and you are accredited, the full cost to you for the 10 licences will be 10 x £442 = £4,420.

If you choose the alternative payment method, you will only need to pay £884 at the time you make the applications. However, you will only get licences that last for one year. You will then have 12 months from the date of the licences to make the outstanding payments, which in this example would be £3,536. If you make the remaining payments in full before the expiry of the 12 months, we will vary your licences and extend them for an additional four-year period, at no extra cost to you.

This payment method is not discounted, but allows you extra time in which to meet the full cost. If you fail to make the additional payments, and the one year licences expire, you will be required to apply for new licences and will be charged the full cost for a five year licence for all properties concerned. In this case, the total cost to you would be more than if you had paid upfront in full, and you may be at risk of prosecution for operating unlicensed properties.

If you would like to take advantage of the alternative payment method, you must get agreement from the council first.

Application to vary a licence

If you want to change the terms of the licence after it has been issued, you will need to make an application to vary the licence.

Application to vary a licence (Change of manager only)

If you appoint a different manager, you will need to make an application to vary your licence. The normal variation fee is reduced if your variation only relates to a change of manager.

Have you moved?

If you or your named manager change address after the licence has been issued, you must notify the council. This is a legal requirement – you will breach the terms of your licence if you don’t tell us. There is no licence fee charge for changes of address.

Help and advice

If you would like help with any aspect of the application process, the Housing Regeneration Team will be able to assist you. Please ring us on 01843 577437 and one of our officers will be happy to help. We can also be contacted by email on: housing.conditions@thanet.gov.uk.

• How to apply
• A guide to making an application for a selective licence (PDF 175kb)
• Fees
• Map and Street Names

• Proposal to Declare a Selective Licensing Designation
• Download a copy of Proposal to Declare a Selective Licensing Designation (PDF 3mb)

E-mail:

housing.conditions
@thanet.gov.uk

Tel: 01843 577437