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Report maintenance Bristol City Council’s rental licensing proposal
Bristol County Council consulting on new licensing requirements for Bristol rentals
The changes aim to drive up the standards within Bristol’s private rental market, through licensing requirements. There are already some Bristol landlord licensing requirements in place:-
- Bristol-wide licence required for larger HMOs (house in multiple occupation) if 5 or more unrelated people live there.
- Twelve wards have additional licensing requirements for 3 to 4 people HMOs.
- Bedminster and Brislington West also require selective licensing where 1 or 2 people or families live together.
New licensing proposals for landlords Bristol properties
So, under the new proposals, the requirement for an additional licence will be extended to the whole of Bristol. It will also see Bishopston and Ashley Down, Cotham and Easton wards added to the selective licensing requirement.
What does this additional licensing mean for Bristol landlords?
Well, the biggest element is that there are certain standards and conditions that a property must meet in order to be rented to tenants. A Council inspection will happen at least once within the 5 year period that a licence is granted for. To get more details on these standards, you can visit the Bristol County Council website.
Have your say
It’s worth pointing out that Bristol City Council are asking for feedback from those affected by these changes via this survey. The survey will close on the 7th November 2023. For those landlords we manage, we’ll provide the support needed to get their property licenced. We’ve even got our own licensing and compliance expert, Alexandra Drake, whom you can talk with. We’d also be happy to have a chat about how we can help our let-only landlords, and even those not currently with The Letting Game.
If you want to talk to an expert about renting out your property and the licensing required, give us a call on 0117 9898 215.
