Plans to reduce the cost of mandatory licences for HMOs in Weymouth and Portland have been pushed forward amid changes in legislation.

Councillors and officers came together at a Weymouth and Portland Borough Council policy development committee to consider changing their fee structure.

It comes after the government has revised the criteria for the mandatory licensing of HMOs from April.

New government legislation proposes to extend mandatory licensing to all HMOs that are occupied by five or more persons in two or more separate households.

It also proposes to introduce mandatory conditions for all licensed HMOs concerning minimum sleeping room sizes and maximum number of occupants, as well as for all licensed HMOs concerning the provision of refuse storage facilities. However, mandatory licensing of Mobile Home Parks is set to continue.

A report put before the committee says the new criteria for licensing may increase the number of licensable HMOs by some 100 to 130 per cent.

This had led the council to consider changing the fees to ensure that the licensing fee adequately covers the cost of the function.

In 2015, an audit of WDWP licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation which compared fees across 17 authorities, revealed that Weymouth and Portland Borough Council were found to be the most expensive based on the cost of a new licence for a five-person HMO.

Under previous Landlords acquiring an HMO licence were forced to pay £525 for three years plus £84 per bedroom. Landlords hoping to renew their licence after the time period would have to pay £210 for five years and an additional £84 per bedroom.

At the committee meeting, councillors agreed to a recommendation to lower the fees. This would mean a new application for a HMO licence would cost £650 and £550 for a renewal. While a 10 per cent discount is proposed for landlords committing to the standards required by the Council’s landlord Forum (The Landlord’s Local Authority Partnership or one of the three national landlord associations.) Fees for members would also be reduced to £585 for a new licence and £495 for a renewal.

Councillor Gill Taylor, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council spokesman for housing, said: “It is an incentive for the landlord to join our groups. We have all sorts of talks on issues that help keep landlords up to date with fast changing legislation.”

Mandatory licensing is to ensure that the HMOs which could present the most significant health and safety risks are known to the local authority,.

The proposal has been recommended for approval and will go before Weymouth and Portland Borough Council’s management committee.