Selective licensing scheme

Selective licensing designation 2011 – 2016

In 2011, Thanet District Council designated parts of the electoral wards of Margate Central and Cliftonville West as a selective licensing area. Unless subject to exemption, all privately rented properties within the area were required to be licensed with the council. The scheme was introduced to help tackle low housing demand and anti-social behaviour. The scheme required landlords to comply with a range of conditions to ensure good property management.

Owing to the success of the selective licensing designation, the scheme was continued with a further designation.

Further selective licensing designation 2016-2021

On 19 January 2016, the council’s Cabinet decided to make a further five year selective licensing designation. The designation concerns an area similar to that in the previous scheme; however, additional properties in Trinity Square and Northdown Road have now been included. The further designation came into force on 21 April 2016 (the day after the previous scheme expired) and will expire on 20 April 2021, unless revoked early by the council. There was no break between the designations.

All licences granted under the previous scheme will remain valid until they expire (the expiry date is shown on the front page of every licence). Existing licence holders are advised to renew their licences early, as a renewal application made at least six weeks before the licence expiry date will attract a lower licence fee. The full proposal, as considered by the council’s Cabinet, provides more comprehensive information about the designation.

The new designation is expected to contribute to:

• an improvement in the social and economic conditions in the area;
• a reduction in anti-social behaviour;
• an improvement in general housing conditions;
• a reduction in the level of deprivation;
• a reduction in crime.

Download related documents

• Full proposal as considered by the council’s Cabinet– PDF
• Public Notice – PDF
• Designation of Selective Licensing Area – PDF

Introduction

On 19 January 2016, the council’s Cabinet decided to make a further selective licensing designation in respect of certain parts of the electoral wards of Margate Central and Cliftonville West. Full details of the scheme, including why it has been introduced, can be found in the document: Proposal to make a further selective licensing designation. This document and further information relating to selective licensing can be found on the council’s website at:  Full proposal as considered by the council’s Cabinet.pdf

The new designation became operative on 21 April 2016 and will last for five years.

Licence applications must be accompanied by the correct fee. The fee structure set out in this document applies from 01 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.

Licence fees for dwellings

*Equivalent weekly cost if a five year licence is granted (for illustrative purposes only).

Licence fees for landlords owning buildings containing flats

* Equivalent weekly cost is £0.97 for each additional flat, if a five year licence is granted (weekly cost is shown for illustrative purposes only).

Licence fees for landlords owning more than one flat in a building without owning the freehold

Owing to legislative restrictions, the council can only issue a single buildings licence when the landlord is in control of the whole building. Where a landlord owns more than one flat, but is not in control of the freehold, the council cannot issue a single licence for the whole building and must require individual licence applications for every flat.

* Equivalent weekly cost is £1.27 for each additional flat, if a five year licence is granted (weekly cost is shown for illustrative purposes only).

HMO Licensing Fees

Introduction

Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004 requires the council, as the local housing authority for Thanet, to
operate a mandatory licensing regime for certain types of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).
The mandatory scheme came into force in April 2006 and was introduced to improve the physical
conditions and management standards in higher risk residential accommodation.

The mandatory licensing regime previously only applied to certain HMOs consisting of three or
more storeys and occupied by five or more persons. On 01 October 2018, the exemption for one
and two-storey HMOs was removed. Therefore, all relevant HMOs occupied by five or more
persons are licensable, irrespective of how many storeys there are in the building.

Section 63 of the Housing Act 2004 empowers the council to make charges for carrying out their
HMO licensing functions. The council reviews these charges every year, and the charges which
apply from 01 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 are set out below.

Standard Licence Application Fees

Standard licence application fees are payable in respect of new licence applications and renewal
applications made within six weeks of the expiry date of an existing licence.

Early Renewal Licence Application Fees

Early renewal licence applications made at least six weeks before the expiry of an existing licence
are subject to a reduced fee structure. Renewal applications not made at least six weeks before
the expiry of an existing licence are subject to the “Standard Licence Application Fees” structure
set out above.

When fees are payable

The Application Fee is payable on application. Any application made without the appropriate
Application Fee being paid will be invalid and will not be processed. Once the council has
assessed a valid application and decided that a licence can be proposed, it will make contact with
the applicant and request payment of the Compliance Fee. The council will not issue a licence
without payment of the Compliance Fee. If the Compliance Fee is not paid within an acceptable
timescale, the application will be deemed withdrawn and the Application Fee will not be refunded.

Landlord accreditation

For the purposes of mandatory HMO licensing, an accredited landlord is a landlord who is fully
accredited with either of the following:
● Kent Landlord Accreditation Scheme (KLAS), which is delivered through the Accreditation &
Training for Landlords & Agents Service (ATLAS); or
● National Residential Landlords Association Accreditation Scheme (NRLA Accreditation).

Withdrawal of licence application

Fees are non-refundable. If you make an HMO licence application and then decide to withdraw it at
a later date, no part of the licence fee paid is refundable.

Applications to vary an HMO licence

If you want to change the terms of an HMO licence after it has been issued, you will need to make
an application to vary the licence. There is no charge for making an application to vary a licence.

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 charge for changes of address.

Non-transferability of licences

All licences are non-transferable (see section 68(6) of the Housing Act 2004). As such, no licence
can be varied to change the licence holder. If the licence holder is to be changed, a wholly new
licence application must be made and the appropriate licence fee paid.

Early revocation

If the council agrees to the early revocation of an HMO licence, no pro-rata rebate of the licence
fee is refundable.

Help and advice

If you would like help with any aspect of the application process, the Private Sector Housing 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.licensing@thanet.gov.uk. Alternatively, you
can write to us at: Private Sector Housing, Thanet District Council, PO Box 9, Cecil Street,
Margate, Kent CT9 1XZ.

List of streets affected by the designation

Every attempt has been made to ensure that this list is as comprehensive as possible; however, the designation is based on the geographical area delineated by the red line on the designation map. The map overrides this list and is final and conclusive as to whether a property is or is not subject to selective licensing.

• Map of Selective Licensing Designated Area
• Albion Road
• Arthur Road
• Athelstan Road
• Cliff Terrace
• Cliftonville Mews
• Cumberland Road
• Dalby Road
• Dalby Square
• Eastern Esplanade (Odd Nos. 1-85 and Even Nos. 2-12, 78 and 80)
• Edgar Road
• Edgar Walk
• Ethelbert Crescent
• Ethelbert Gardens
• Ethelbert Road
• Ethelbert Terrace
• First Avenue
• Fort Crescent
• Fort Paragon
• Godwin Bungalows
• Godwin Road
• Gordon Road
• Harold Road
• Lewis Crescent
• Norfolk Road
• Northdown Road (Odd Nos. 1-253 and Even Nos. 2-290)
• Percy Road
• Queens Parade
• Randolph Square
• Sandhurst Place
• Sandown Cottages
• Second Avenue
• St Paul’s Mews
• St Paul’s Road
• Stanley Road
• Surrey Road
• Sweyn Road
• The Passage
• Third Avenue
• Trinity Square (Nos. 1-94)
• Warwick Road
• Zion Place

Every attempt has been made to ensure that this list is a comprehensive as possible; however, the designation is based on the geographical area delineated by the read line on the designation map.  The map overrides this list and is the final and conclusive as to whether a property is or is not subject to selective licensing.

Renewal applications can only be made if your current licence remains valid and has not yet expired.

If your licence has expired you must make a new application.