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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the document entitled Licensing of houses in multiple occupation and selective licensing of other residential accommodation (England) General Approval 2024, published on 16 December 2024 on landlords.

The General Approval 2024 grants local authorities the ability to introduce selective licensing schemes of any size in their area, without requiring Secretary of State approval.

No changes have been made to the legislative requirements for introducing and managing a selective licensing scheme. Local authorities must continue to meet the requirements under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004.

We trust local authorities to assess local housing conditions and introduce a selective licensing scheme where there is a need to address local issues. No recent assessment has been undertaken on the impact of the selective licensing General Approval 2024.