Last November, the National Landlords Association (NLA) wrote to all local authorities in England after court judgements clarified issues over the licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and how local licensing fees should be determined.
 |
| [relatedPosts title=”Related Posts”] |
|
|
The action was taken after the outcomes from three specific judgments involving English local authorities. Importantly, the rulings mean that many landlords may have been wrongly charged licensing fees and could be entitled to refunds.
The NLA reports that the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council is the latest local authority to start issuing refunds following leads from Dover District Council, Stockton-On-Tees Borough Council and Ipswich Borough Council who have all sent a written reply to the NLA confirming that they accept that they should not have charged fees for varying licences, and are willing to deal with refund applications on a case by case basis.
The NLA is encouraging landlords in these areas to phone up their councils to enquire about starting their refund application.
Richard Lambert, Chief Executive Officer at the NLA believes this is a step in the right direction and one that more councils should take:
“This is a positive move by Bradford and the other councils who have replied, and we appreciate the time they’ve taken to look into the court cases and change their policies accordingly.
“The NLA exists to promote and support a fair and equitable private-rented sector. Central to this is ensuring a balanced relationship with the council and community, so that landlords consider that they are treated in an even handed manner in respect of their responsibilities and costs.
“We want to build up a comprehensive picture of local authority licensing costs and liabilities across the country, particularly in light of these court judgements which have significant bearing on councils’ charging practices.”
