BRIGHTON & HOVE CITY COUNCIL HOUSING ACT 2004
LICENSING OF HOUSES IN MULTIPLE OCCUPATION (HMOs)
NOTICE is hereby given that on 19 March 2024 Brighton & Hove City Council (“the Council”) made a designation under Section 56(1) of the Housing Act 2004 (“the Act 2004”) designating the area in its district comprising all 23 wards in the city as subject to additional licensing in relation to HMOs consisting of two or more storeys and with three or four occupiers, other than those that are HMOs by virtue of Section 257 of the Act 2004.
The designation was not required to be confirmed by the appropriate national authority, being subject to a general approval under Section 58 of the Act 2004 and The Housing Act 2004: Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation and Selective Licensing of Other Residential Accommodation (England) General Approval 2015.
The designation will come into force on 1 July 2024 and unless revoked beforehand it will remain in force for a period of five years from that date. The Council’s contact details for these purposes are Private Sector Housing, Brighton & Hove City Council, Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove BN3 3BQ, telephone: 01273 293156, email: psh@brighton-hove.gov.uk
A copy of the designation may be inspected at the Customer Service Centre, Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove BN3 3BQ (entrance in Norton Road) 9 am to 4.30 pm weekdays. To view the designation online and for general advice on HMOs or private sector housing go to https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/housing/private-housing
Any landlord, person managing or tenant of an HMO in the designated area is advised to contact the Council for advice on whether their property is affected by the designation. On 1 July 2024 applications for licences will be made available online at Brighton & Hove City Council.
Failure to license a property that is required to be licensed is a criminal offence and could result in a fine, financial penalty, the loss of the right to manage the property or the making of a rent repayment order. In addition, it is not possible to serve an eviction notice under Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 on tenants of an unlicensed licensable property.
Jess Gibbons,
Chief Executive,Brighton & Hove City Council,
Hove Town Hall,
Norton Road,
Hove BN3 3BQ
19 March 2024