Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the mandatory licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation.

Mandatory licensing applies to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) that are three or more storeys and occupied by five or more persons forming at least two separate households.

The Department considers mandatory licensing of these larger HMOs as being effective in raising property conditions and standards. This is why we consulted on extending its scope and we will, subject to parliamentary clearance, bring forward new legislation requiring all HMOs (subject to a few exceptions) with five or more occupiers to have a local authority licence.