• Make a contribution
  • Get the Print Edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
  • Login
Reading Today Online
  • HOME
  • YOUR AREA
    • All
    • Caversham
    • Central Reading
    • East Reading
    • Katesgrove
    • Reading
    • Southcote & Coley
    • Tilehurst & Norcot
    • Whitley

    Health secretary visits Royal Berks

    Kenya Butchers and Just Fresh owners fined nearly £60k for further health and safety breaches

    Vyome Singh named Reading New Comdian of the Year– after only starting stand-up in January

    World Bee Day: UoR says pollinators face continued and increasing threats

    Murder Trial Tonight casts audience as jury in immersive true crime show at The Hexagon

    Reading man jailed after being found with cocaine and heroin

    Reading man jailed for intent to supply class A drugs

    New store opens to serve neighbours in Whitley opened by MP

    Ferrari specialist near Reading wins permission for new workshop

  • COMMUNITY
  • READING FC
  • SPORT
    • All
    • Basketball
    • Football
    • Rugby

    Rob Couhig reveals new Reading FC CEO following takeover

    It’s a podium streak for Wokingham racing star Bobby with a win at Silverstone

    Rams RFC celebrate at end of season ball

    Lewis hits brilliant century to see Berkshire CCC beat Buckinghamshire

    ‘Without you, there would be no club’: Defender sends farewell message to Reading FC fans

    Style and splendour returns to Newbury

    Former Reading FC manager to be named as new Brazil national team assistant manager under Ancelotti

    ‘The club lives on’: Reading FC Community Trust reacts to ownership news

    New Reading FC owner Rob Couhig sends message to loyal fans

  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • READING FESTIVAL
    • READING PRIDE
    • WOKINGHAM FESTIVAL
  • PRIDE OF READING
  • OBITUARIES
  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Reading Today Online
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

New licensing scheme set to cost buy-to-let landlords in Reading

James Aldridge, local democracy reporter by James Aldridge, local democracy reporter
Wednesday, December 11, 2024 8:26 am
in Featured, Reading
A A
Landlord

Landlord

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A new licensing scheme is set to cost buy-to-let landlords in Reading hundreds of pounds more than they paid previously.

Private rented accommodation takes up a major share of the housing stock in Reading, with nearly 40 per cent of homes being privately rented.

Furthermore, there are over 3,000 houses which are homes of multiple occupation (HMO), meaning three or more separate individuals share facilities.

Licences dictating safety conditions in homes are currently mandatory for HMOs with five or more people.

A licence requires a landlord to ensure smoke and fire alarms are maintained, all shared appliances have electricity safety ratings and any necessary repairs are conducted in a timely manner.

But Reading Borough Council has recently decided to require all landlords of HMOs to possess licences for its Additional (HMO) Licensing Scheme.

Related posts

Health secretary visits Royal Berks

Kenya Butchers and Just Fresh owners fined nearly £60k for further health and safety breaches

Vyome Singh named Reading New Comdian of the Year– after only starting stand-up in January

World Bee Day: UoR says pollinators face continued and increasing threats

That means landlords who have small HMOs with at least three people living there will have to pay to apply for a licence.

The cost of licences for HMOs will initially cost £950, before increasing to £1,250.

Justifying the increase, a report by Stuart Taylor, the council’s principal environmental health officer, states: “The fee is proposed to be increased in year, increasing from £950 to £1250 for a standard application.

“This is required to allow for a full inspection programme to be implemented and to cover the running costs of the scheme implementation.

“The standard fee will be kept to the consultation proposal of £950 in

the first part of Year 1 to act as an incentive to apply early.”

Those who are members of an accredited landlord scheme such as the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) will get a discount £800 at the start, rising to £1,000 from the middle of Year 1 onwards.

Late applications, where the property has been licensable for 12 weeks

before the application is made will cost £1,200 at the start of the scheme, rising to £1,500 after that.

The scheme is set to formally be declared in March next year, ready for additional HMO licences to be implemented in June.

In certain areas, the council will require all buy-to-let landlords to have a licence, under its selective licence scheme.

The selective licence scheme will be introduced in the Battle ward of West Reading in 2027, Park ward in 2029, with both of the latter wards being located in East Reading.

The selective licence scheme will cost £750 at a standard rate, £650 for those who are members of an accredited landlord scheme, and £250 for properties which are in use through the council’s rent guarantee scheme.

Justifying this low rate, Mr Taylor’s report states: “These properties are generally let below market rents and the reduction is to incentivise

and retain landlords onto the scheme.”

The rent guarantee scheme was set up to help people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness access private rented accommodation.

Councillors agreed to the additional HMO and selective licensing schemes at a housing, neighbourhoods and leisure committee meeting on Wednesday, November 13.

Keep up to date by signing up for our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people who have requested it.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Previous Post

Walsall 1-1 Reading (4-2 pens): Nine-man Royals crash out on pens

Next Post

Thames Water reports 40% rise in pollution incidents as struggles continue

FOLLOW US

POPULAR STORIES

  • Young man and woman attacked by group of teenagers in Reading robbery

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Former Reading FC star to be released as free agent by Championship club

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Former Reading FC star to become free agent following Championship relegation

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Thousands experience power outage in Reading, not expected to be fixed for hours

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Reading FC group Sell Before We Dai makes generous donation following end of campaign

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

RDG.Today – which is a Social Enterprise – provides Reading Borough with free, independent news coverage.

If you are able, please support our work

Click Here to Support RDG.Today

ABOUT US

Reading Today is dedicated to providing news online across the whole of the Borough of Reading. It is a Social Enterprise, existing to support the various communities in Reading Borough.

CONTACT US

news@wokinghampaper.co.uk

Reading Today Logo

Keep up to date with our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people that have subscribed

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

The Wokingham Paper Ltd publications are regulated by IPSO – the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
If you have a complaint about a  The Wokingham Paper Ltd  publication in print or online, you should, in the first instance, contact the publication concerned, email: editor@wokingham.today, or telephone: 0118 327 2662. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact IPSO by telephone: 0300 123 2220, or visit its website: www.ipso.co.uk. Members of the public are welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on how to frame a complaint.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • Central Reading
    • East Reading
    • Bracknell
    • Calcot
    • Caversham
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
  • COMMUNITY
  • SPORT
    • Reading FC
    • Football
    • Rugby
    • Basketball
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • READING FESTIVAL
    • READING PRIDE
    • WOKINGHAM FESTIVAL
  • PRIDE OF READING
  • OBITUARIES
  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT US
  • SUPPORT US
  • SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
  • WHERE TO GET THE PRINT EDITION

© 2021 - The Wokingham Paper Ltd - All Right Reserved.