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Applications are made through the Gov.UK website. Please ensure you have read the guidance and information below.
PLEASE NOTE: When you get to the application form it will be headed up with a reference to Houses in Multiple Occupation, but please ignore this as the form will allow you to choose a Selective Licence on page 2.
Further information about the scheme can be found below.
IMPORTANT: If your property is subject to the mandatory HMO licensing scheme, then you must make an application under that scheme. In such circumstances, your property will be excluded from selective licensing.
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.
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:
Following current success, we plan to continue with a further five year Scheme when the existing Scheme expires in the spring of 2016.
We have been inviting comments and views from Monday 17th August until Monday 26th October 2015 on a second Selective Licencing Scheme for part of Cliftonville and Margate. The Selective Licensing Schemes aim to improve the quality of our private rented accommodation, and to reduce anti-social behaviour and crime in the locality.
Read the consultation document
The consultation period has now closed, however you can contact the Housing Regeneration Team if you have any queries about the proposal.
PermalinkThe Selective Licensing Scheme was introduced in part of Cliftonville and Margate to help tackle anti-social behaviour, low housing demand and improve living conditions. Landlords are obliged to licence their properties in the designated area and to comply with the terms of the Scheme.
Cliftonville West and Margate Central Wards, Margate
Thanet District Council introduced a selective licensing designation covering an area of Cliftonville West and Margate Central wards.
Thanet District Council took this action as part of a wider regeneration programme for the area following the latest results of the published indices of multiple deprivation. The indices look at the relationship between income, employment, health, education and skills, housing, crime and the living environment. Despite being located in the South East which is considered an affluent region, Thanet ranks 65 out of 354 based on the indices of multiple deprivation 2007 with 1 being the most deprived and 354 being the least deprived (Office of National Statistics 2007). The office of national statistics also provides information on individual super output areas within the district and the areas covered by Margate Central and Cliftonville West wards are in the bottom 3% of the most deprived areas nationally and are the two most deprived wards in the South East of England (IMD).
The reasons behind the decline of these wards are complex. Thanet was a popular holiday destination but has struggled to restructure its economy following the decline of this industry which has led to serious socio-economic challenges. Despite a wide range of actions and interventions in recent years, the area’s ranking in deprivation compared to other areas of the country has declined significantly since 2004.
Today, this disadvantage manifests itself through entrenched worklessness and benefit dependency; a high level of privately rented accommodation much of which is both in poor condition and is poorly managed, a highly transitory population with an annual turn over of residents exceeding 30% and considerable inequalities in health with life expectancy significantly lower than elsewhere in the county. (see section 2.1-2.4)
One of the major challenges in Margate Central and Cliftonville West is the built environment. In Cliftonville West in particular the Victorian seaside properties are characterised by large terraced houses or guest houses and hotels, over several floors with small gardens. Since the decline in Thanet’s tourism this type of property has lent itself to be used as small flats, and houses in multiple occupation, being too large for retention as a single household family home, with very few traditional guest houses or B&B’s remaining. The increase in this type of accommodation at the lower end of the rental market has led to a change in the type and tenure of housing, and consequently a change in the demographic profile of the area.
With restricted opportunities for employment in recent years, these properties have become easily accessible housing for benefit dependent individuals and less attractive to home owners. As owner occupiers sell up and move out, market values have reduced over time and the large properties have become attractive investments for landlords to purchase and sub divide, creating additional flats and Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
Many single person, benefit dependent households are transient and this has led to a high turnover of residents. A significant number of people move into the area from other parts of the country and outside of the UK, as well as constant movement between properties within the ward. There remains a core community of households who have pride in the area but the constant movement of the privately rented sector means it is difficult to maintain and develop any feeling of community and this contributes to the area scoring poorly on community cohesion indicators.
In 2005 the District Council declared the wards of Cliftonville West and Margate Central as a Neighbourhood Renewal Area (NRA). Despite considerable attention and financial support for the area progress on improving the deprivation indicators has been slow and in some cases has declined. Property values have slumped and households in poverty have continued to grow. The area has many absentee landlords, high levels of privately rented accommodation which is often poorly managed and in poor condition, and a high number of empty properties. This cycle of decline is inextricably linked with social problems of worklessness, poor health, crime and anti social behaviour. It is not surprising that the area is commonly seen as rundown, an undesirable place to live and contributing negatively to the overall reputation of Thanet.
Despite all these issues the area of Cliftonville West continues to be a priority for Thanet Council, Kent County Council and NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent. It is viewed as an area with considerable prospects for the future with determination from some members of the community, public services and the voluntary sector to work in partnership and make a positive difference to the current profile of these wards and the quality of life of the residents.
There will need to be a range of approaches that are well coordinated in order to have a significant impact on the problems faced in these wards. There is no one solution to the regeneration of the area but a comprehensive mix of tools to deal with unemployment, health, crime, anti social behaviour and the economy.
The Margate Task Force is a new initiative which is working to integrate housing and environmental regeneration with a wider multi-agency approach to tackle the high level of socio-economic problems in the area, characterised by a disproportionate concentration of vulnerable individuals and families.
The Task Force team comprises Police, Housing, Community Safety, Youth Workers, and Family Intervention. It will take the lead in tackling crime and anti-social behaviour; ensuring that vulnerable individuals and families receive the support they need in the local community. The Task Force’s priority is to engage with the community through residents, youth and business groups working in partnership to agree shared objectives and activities which can be positively delivered.
The introduction of a selective licensing scheme in specified areas of Cliftonville West and Margate Central forms part of a toolkit to tackle the various issues in the area. This intervention is underpinned by an agreed long-term strategy and neighbourhood plan, shaped and directed through community engagement, for addressing the significant issues faced in the Cliftonville West and Margate Central wards, alongside a comprehensive housing intervention plan. It will compliment the range of activities and action plans in place to achieve regeneration for the two wards by helping to deal with low demand, anti social behaviour, regulate the private rented sector and ensure that residents have access to good quality, properly managed accommodation.
It is essential that members of the community are engaged with this proposal and have the opportunity to make comment. The draft proposal was circulated for comment through a consultation process that began on 6th September 2010 and ended on 15th November 2010. A copy of the draft proposal and details of the consultation process can be found in appendix one of the full document – Selective Licensing Scheme.
This final document has been amended from the draft proposal to reflect the comments and suggestions received through the consultation process. It sets out the detail behind the proposal, the reasons why making a designation will enhance the existing activity and provides details of the results of the consultation.
This scheme’s Designation was approved the council’s Cabinet on 12th January 2011.
Read the full Selective Scheme Designation document
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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: thanet.gov.uk
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 2017 to 31 March 2018.
| Dwellings Licences For dwellings, whether a house or flat, occupied by a single family household or by two persons sharing | Accredited Landlords1 | Non-accredited Landlords |
| Standard licence application fee | £541 (£2.08 per week*) | £631 (£2.43 per week*) |
| Early renewal licence application fee ² (Only available to applicants who make a valid renewal licence application at least six weeks before their current licence is due to expire) | £448 (£1.72 per week*) | £538 (£2.07 per week*) |
*Equivalent weekly cost if a five year licence is granted (for illustrative purposes only).
| Buildings Licences Only available to a landlord who lets two or more flats within the same building AND is the freeholder (only a single licence required) | Accredited Landlords1 | Non-accredited Landlords |
| Standard licence application fees Fee for first flat Fee for each additional flat (within the same building) | £541 £235* | £631 £235* |
| Early renewal licence application fees ² (Only available to applicants who make a valid renewal licence application at least six weeks before their current licence is due to expire) Fee for first flat Fee for each additional flat (within the same building) |
£448 £235* |
£538 £235* |
* Equivalent weekly cost is £0.67 for each additional flat, if a five year licence is granted (weekly cost is shown for illustrative purposes only).
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.
| Capped Licence Fees Only available to a landlord who lets two or more flats within the same building, but is NOT the freeholder (multiple licences required) | Accredited Landlords1 | Non-accredited Landlords |
| Standard licence application fees Fee for the first flat CAPPED fee for each additional flat (within the same building) | £495 £280* | £545 £280* |
| Early renewal licence application fees ² (Only available to applicants who make a valid renewal licence application at least six weeks before their current licence is due to expire) Fee for the first flat CAPPED fee for each additional flat (within the same building) | £405 £280* | £455 £280* |
* Equivalent weekly cost is £1.08 for each additional flat, if a five year licence is granted (weekly cost is shown for illustrative purposes only).
| Selective Licensing HMO Fees For HMOs with shared amenities, including bedsit type properties, shared houses, and flats in multiple occupation | Accredited Landlords1 | Non-accredited Landlords |
| Standard licence application fees HMOs which contain 2 – 8 units of accommodation Fee for each additional unit of accommodation (In addition to the fee for HMOs which contain 2 – 8 units of accommodation) | £806 £40 | £886 £40 |
| Early renewal licence application fees ² (Only available to applicants who make a valid renewal licence application at least six weeks before their current licence is due to expire) HMOs which contain 2 – 8 units of accommodation Fee for each additional unit of accommodation (In addition to the fee for HMOs which contain 2 – 8 units of accommodation) |
£600 £40 |
£680 £40 |
1 For the purposes of selective licensing, an accredited landlord is a landlord who is fully accredited with any of the following:
2 A renewal licence application can be made when an unexpired licence remains in force in respect of a property. A shorter licence application form is available for use when making renewal applications. However, while a (non-early) renewal licence application can be made within six weeks of expiry, such a licence application will be subject to the standard licence application fees.
Do you own more than 15 dwellings that need a licence?We may be able to offer an alternative payment method if you have a portfolio which comprises 15 or more dwellings 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 25% of the full cost. Thus, if you have say 15 dwellings within different buildings, and you are accredited, the full cost to you for the standard application licences would be 15 x £495 = £7,425. If you choose the alternative payment method, you will only need to pay £1,856.25 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 £5,568.75. 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. |
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. There is no charge for making an application to vary a licence.
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.
All licences are non-transferable (see section 91(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.
If the council agrees to the early revocation of a selective licence, no pro-rata rebate of the licence application fee is refundable.
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.conditions@thanet.gov.uk.
Alternatively, you can write to us at:
Private Sector Housing
Community Services
Thanet District Council
PO Box 9
Cecil Street
Margate
Kent
CT9 1XZ
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.
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.
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