Managing or controlling properties that require a licence
This page provides useful information and guidance for agents who manage or control properties requiring a Selective or Additional licence under a scheme delivered in partnership with Home Safe.
Register as an agent Licensing SchemesPlease note that it is an offence for an agent to manage or control a property that requires a licence unless a valid licence is in place or a duly made application has been submitted.
Schemes delivered in partnership with Home Safe
Home Safe works in partnership with local authorities to deliver selective, additional and mandatory HMO licensing schemes. Where Home Safe is appointed as the Council’s delivery partner, landlords must apply for a licence through the Home Safe online portal, where they can also manage ongoing compliance. The Council may also appoint Home Safe to deliver its inspection programme(s), in which case licensed properties will be inspected by Home Safe on the Council’s behalf.
Full details of each licensing scheme, including the properties that require a licence, fees, important dates and compliance and inspection requirements, are provided on the relevant local authority and scheme webpages:
- Great Yarmouth Borough Council Selective Licensing Scheme
- Peterborough City Council Additional Licensing Scheme
- Peterborough City Council Selective Licensing Scheme
- North Lincolnshire Council Selective Licensing Scheme
- North East Lincolnshire Council Selective Licensing Scheme
- Reading Borough Council Additional Licensing Scheme
Why register as an ‘Approved Agent’?
Supporting your landlord clients
Many landlords choose to appoint letting or managing agents to act on their behalf during the application process and/or to support them in meeting their ongoing compliance responsibilities once a licence is issued.
To support your landlord clients with licensing, you will need to register with Home Safe as an Approved Agent and verify your details before you can be added as a verified agent to a licence application.
Registering as an Approved Agent enables you to assist your landlord clients in the following ways:
- Be named on licence applications as the managing agent
- Track the progress of applications
- View multiple applications and properties in one place
- Upload supporting documents and certificates to the Home Safe portal
- Correspond directly with Home Safe regarding information requests
- Change the inspection point of contact
- Update the tenancy status and add a new tenancy
- Once registered, you can manage your own agent account including, setting a PIN, managing your agency users, inviting colleagues, updating your Nominated Responsible Person (NRP) and updating your communication and email delivery preferences.
How to Register as an Approved Agent
Registration only takes a few minutes and must be completed by the person at your agency who has overall responsibility for the business, usually the owner or a director. This person will need to sign a 'fit and proper person' declaration as part of the process.
Received an email invitation to register?
If a landlord has added you to their application, you may have received an invitation by email from Home Safe. Follow the link in the email to accept the invitation and register, or use the registration links on this page.
What information is required to register?
The following information will be required at the point of registering.
- Name and email address for the agency’s nominated responsible person
- Redress Scheme
- Redress Scheme Registration Number
- Agency Name
- Branch Name (if applicable)
- Local Authority Service Area
- Agency Address
- Details of any professional bodies
Who is the most appropriate person to be the Licence Holder?
It is expected that the most appropriate person to be the Licence Holder would be the person acting as landlord, and this would typically be the property owner, as typically they would be in receipt of the rental income.
Some landlords may prefer to appoint another person or organisation, such as a letting or managing agent, to act as the Licence Holder on their behalf if they are unable to fulfil this role themselves. For example, this may be because they live overseas or are not able to respond to tenant or property issues within reasonable timescales.
The Council will consider who is the most appropriate person to hold a property licence and confirm that they are fit and proper. In most cases, this will be the property owner. However, an alternative Licence Holder may be nominated where appropriate by the property owner, such as a family member, friend or managing agent.
The Licence Holder must be formally authorised and financially able to make decisions about the property, as they are legally responsible for complying with the licence conditions and may be subject to enforcement action if the Local Authority deems it necessary.
Applying for a licence with the property owner’s consent
Where an agent is willing to act as the Licence Holder, they must confirm that they have the property owner’s consent to apply for the licence.
During step 3 of the online application form, the individual making the application should select the option ‘Person with consent to apply for a licence for this property’. A nominated consent form must be signed by the client, as the property owner, and uploaded to the application before it is submitted.
During step 3 of the application form, if the agency is a limited company, the individual making the application should also request that the licence be issued in the name of the business. As licences are non-transferable, this avoids the need to apply for a new licence and payment of the full fee if a named individual, such as a member of staff or director, leaves the agency.
Where a managing agent acts as the Licence Holder, we recommend that they have a formal written agreement with the property owner detailing costs and responsibilities.
Inspections and Compliance Management
Where the Local Authority appoints Home Safe to deliver its inspection programme, every licensed property will be inspected as part of the scheme.
During the application process, landlords are asked to nominate an inspection point of contact. This is the person our inspectors will contact to arrange access to the property and may be the landlord, tenant or managing agent. These details must be kept up to date throughout the scheme.
Before the inspection programme begins, we will provide further information and guidance to licence holders, agents and tenants. When a property is ready to be inspected:
- Shortly before arranging an inspection, we will email the licence holder, nominated contact, tenant(s), and agent (where applicable) to confirm that an inspection will take place in the new few months.
- We recommend logging in to the Home Safe portal to check that the inspection point of contact recorded for each licensed property you manage is correct. If any details need to be changed, please discuss this with the Licence Holder and update the property record as necessary.
- When the inspection is ready to be scheduled, the nominated point of contact will be invited to book an appointment through our 24/7 booking platform.
- Once the inspection has been completed, the Licence Holder will receive a copy of the inspection report by email.
- Any identified issues in the report will be categorised into Imminent Danger, Potentially Enforceable, or, Advisory.
- Home Safe will be in touch with the Licence Holder regarding resolving the identified issues within an acceptable timescale.
- Any Licence Holder that does not respond or does not comply will be referred to the Local Authority for potential enforcement action.