Member

Amendment 108, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Shipley, seeks to extend the maximum duration of selective and additional HMO licensing schemes from five to 10 years. We must recognise that licensing regimes, while in many cases beneficial, can place significant additional responsibilities and costs on landlords. These may include fees, compliance with detailed conditions and administrative burdens, all of which can have a knock-on effect for landlords and tenants alike. For this reason, it is essential that local authorities monitor and evaluate any schemes they implement to ensure that they remain proportionate, targeted and effective. A long fixed-term duration for licensing schemes is problematic. Simply, a shorter term ensures that local authorities have the flexibility to assess whether a scheme is delivering meaningful results while preventing landlords being locked into prolonged regulatory frameworks without timely reviews or clear justification. Frequent reassessment helps proportionality and accountability in how such powers are used. Therefore, we will not support these amendments.