This meeting covered a range of topics including the Council’s proposed new Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing scheme, its proposed housing stock investment strategy for the next five years and a report on the work taking place in the housing service to address domestic abuse. The meeting also considered the latest performance information and an update on proposed changes to the Housing Allocation Scheme¹.

The Housing Allocation Scheme is the legal document that sets out how the Council will allocate its available social housing to residents.

Review of the Council’s additional Houses in Multiple Occupation licensing scheme and proposal to consult on renewal of scheme

The report presented to the committee considered the findings of a review into the operation of the current HMO licensing scheme which is due to expire in December 2025. It also contained a proposal to consult on the implementation of a new licensing scheme, to begin after the expiry of the current scheme. The report explained that mandatory HMO licensing schemes apply nationally to those properties that: “are occupied by five or more persons forming more than one household." The report also explained that the review of the current scheme concluded that it had been successful in achieving its objectives of improving the quality of homes and their management in the private sector. It noted that the “additional licensing scheme”² in Camden had resulted in works being needed to improve conditions within 94% of the homes licensed. However, the report also stated that the review identified an ongoing problem with a high number of properties that continue to operate without the necessary licence.

Despite it being a legal requirement for landlords to apply for a licence under the scheme, the number of unlicensed HMOs being found, via a combination of complaints and intelligence leads, remains high.

If a new scheme is adopted it was proposed that the fees charged to landlords would increase. A table in the report provided details of the proposed new fees. The current fee for all HMO licence applications is £1,266 while under the new scheme this would increase to £1,570.

Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget and rent review 2025/26

This report outlined how the council plans to fund the services and investments in its housing stock over the coming years. It proposed rent increases of 2.7% for social housing and 3.2% for shared ownership properties, noting that these figures were the maximum allowed under the current government rent standard guidelines. The report contained details of the proposed increased charges for heating, hot water, garages, and other services such as grounds maintenance and estate security.

The national funding system for social housing is broken. Decisions taken by the previous government have resulted in £168m of lost rental income since 2016.

There were detailed proposals in the report setting out a range of additional savings measures needed to balance the budget. These include increasing the target for savings on leaseholder services by £0.3m, reducing the amount the Council sets aside to cover bad debt by £0.1m and increasing by £0.06m the target for rental income from commercial properties in the Council’s portfolio. The proposed changes to garage rents, from £16/week to £18/week were also detailed in the report.

Housing Investment Strategy

This report set out the Council’s proposed strategy for investment in its housing stock over the period 2025 to 2030.

“This report responds to two key challenges which the Council faces: an urgent need to address the local housing crisis through the development and acquisition of good quality homes, and a significant shortfall in its finances to maintain its existing portfolio to the necessary standards to ensure regulatory compliance and the safety of residents.”

The report provided detail on the Community Investment Programme (CIP), an existing scheme which will continue to deliver new social and other affordable homes in the borough. Alongside this it contained proposals for new homes to be acquired via Camden Living³, the Council’s new Registered Provider, along with acquisitions made through the Temporary Accommodation Purchasing Programme (TAPP) and the Family Friendly Housing Programme. It explained that these programmes would aim to deliver on the council’s long-term objective of growing its housing stock, “in a way which responds to resident needs.”

The report also proposed the adoption of a Housing Asset Management Strategy to ensure that the existing stock is “safe, warm, and dry”. It stated that a survey of the Council’s housing stock completed in 2023 found that to achieve that, the Council would ideally need to spend an estimated £998.7m in capital investment over the next five years. However the report explained that the funding is not available for this level of investment and proposed a reduced investment level of £670m over that period with £320m already committed. It proposed that the remaining £350m in investment would be funded in part by leaseholder service charges and by the sale of what the report described as, “poorly performing properties.”

The analysis has revealed that these are usually our older homes. This is generally because they combine having higher than average property values, with high investment needs.

The strategy will also include a proposal that in certain circumstances existing residents of what the report described as, “very poorly performing homes,” may have to be rehoused to enable the Council to meet its investment goals. It stated that the details of this rehousing offer would be drawn up subject to the strategy being approved.

Housing and Domestic Abuse: progress report

This report provided an update on the work taking place across the council to improve support for residents who are affected by domestic abuse.

Domestic abuse is a high harm, high volume crime that remains largely hidden. It has a profoundly traumatic and disruptive impact on the lives of survivors, their families, and communities.

It contained details of a new Domestic Abuse and Housing policy, being developed in partnership with residents and other stakeholders, to provide clear information about what help is available from the Council for people affected by domestic abuse. The report also detailed plans to embed training across the housing service to enable staff to better identify and respond to the needs of people who are affected by domestic abuse.

Housing Allocation Scheme Review

This report informed the committee of a review of the Council’s Housing Allocation Scheme that is underway. It identified minor and major changes that are being proposed. The minor changes, which have now been agreed, relate to the following policy areas:

• Sheltered Housing: improving access to sheltered housing.
• Underoccupancy: providing incentives for tenants to downsize and free up larger family homes.
• Direct offers: increasing the use of direct offers to allocate homes more quickly to some groups including bereaved families, and people being supported by Adult Social Care.
• Health and Housing Points: improving the way the council assesses housing applications from people with medical needs.
• Domestic Abuse: using terminology in the Scheme that is in line with the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

The report also contained details of draft opportunity areas for major changes to the Scheme that will be subject to consultation in the coming months.

Work Programme and Forward Plan

This report provided the committee with an update on the actions agreed at previous meetings. It also provided details of the committee’s forward work programme.