Landlord Focus – summer 2025
Welcome to ‘Landlord Focus’ – the Private Sector Housing Team’s e-newsletter for providing news and relevant information for landlords, letting and managing agents in Reading. We hope you will find the articles in this issue useful and informative.
By including these summaries, we aim to keep you informed to avoid unintentional offences that could result in enforcement action. We also want to assure those landlords who offer good accommodation and good standards of management that we continue to actively enforce against those landlords operating illegally and without due regard to the law.
If you have any comments or ideas or suggestions for future editions, please email us at: hmo@reading.gov.uk
Additional and Selective Licensing Schemes
About the Scheme:
We currently only operate the national mandatory house in multiple occupation (HMO) licensing scheme in Reading, for properties with 5 or more occupants. Further details of the current scheme are at www.reading.gov.uk/hmo
Housing, Neighbourhoods and Leisure Committee agreed a proposal to introduce additional HMO licensing boroughwide and selective licensing of all rented properties in 3 Wards. The proposed timetable was for the additional HMO licensing scheme (for 3 and 4 person HMOs) to be introduced in June 2025. After this selective licensing of all rented properties in Battle Ward is proposed to follow in 2027, Selective licensing in Park Ward in 2029 and Redlands Ward in 2031.
More recently Policy Committee agreed a revised proposal, we will be seeking a delivery partner to help us process applications, leading to quicker responses than we can achieve in house. This will help deliver the additional capacity to process applications and make inspections. However this does mean a delay to the introduction of the HMO licensing scheme, which is now expected to be introduced in the autumn. More detail on this will follow in the summer.
The committee delegated the decision to make a designation to officers, the designation decision would be published at least 3 months ahead of launch for a standstill period and further publicity will follow. In the meantime you can see details of the proposals here Extension of property licensing – frequently asked questions – Reading Borough Council.
Mandatory HMO Licensing
The existing mandatory house in multiple occupation (HMO) licensing scheme continues to operate, for properties with 5 or more occupants. Unfortunately there are extensive delays to licence processing at present. We are assessing new applications to see that they are complete within our 10 day target but arranging an inspection and issuing the licence is taking 6 months or more. We are working to recruit new staff members to help clear the backlog, please bear with us.
We are looking at different ways of operating the new schemes and will also be taking on additional staff to deal with the new licence designations.
Damp and mould
In September 2023, the government released new guidance in relation to damp and mould in home “Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home”. Mould is often more of an issue at this time of year at the end of a season of cold weather.
The guidance emphasizes that landlords must treat cases of damp and mould with the utmost seriousness and act promptly to protect their tenants’ health. If there is observable evidence of dampness in a building, this is sufficient to indicate the need to remedy the issue to protect the health of tenants and prevent proliferation of the issue. This could include issues such as visible mould, mould odour or water damage, including condensation.
The guidance also recommends that where mould is present that it is treated quickly using a qualified professional where appropriate and that prompt action is taken to find the underlying cause of the problem.
Where remedial steps have been taken to address damp and mould you should inspect the property within 6 weeks to check if these have been successful, if the damp and mould has reappeared then further follow-up investigations will be necessary.
The guidance advises working with your tenant to ensure that a long-term solution is found. You should also keep your tenant informed of the steps that you are taking.
The guidance is available on the government website.
We also have advice aimed at tenants which you can forward to them at Damp and mould – Reading Borough Council
Radio teleswitch (RTS) turn-off
Many properties that have (or formerly had) off-peak electric rates, commonly used with night storage heaters, used a radio teleswitch. This was used to tell the electric meter when the off-peak hours were starting and finishing. The technology that supports these radio teleswitch meters will be switched off from 30 June 2025. Without an upgrade, the heating and hot water provisions in some homes or businesses that use the technology could be affected and the advice is to contact your electricity supplier.
For information see Replacing your Radio Teleswitch electricity meter | Ofgem
What to do when there is an emergency in your property
Landlord are expected to respond to repairs within a reasonable time of being made aware (either through a report from a tenant or a routine inspection). How to respond will depend on the urgency of the issues.
Assess what interim measures can take place – first steps until the main repairs get carried out, to make sure occupiers are not put at risk. For example, when the boiler breaks down – do the tenants need portable heaters? If there is a roof leak can temporary repairs be made?
A visit should always be carried out to make sure the issue is properly assessed. You may need to liaise with an insurance company but be aware that you may need to act in advance of their visit, particularly if the occupants are at risk.
Please be prepared for emergencies, check who could be contacted and how the tenant could contact the right person and check your insurance cover.
Changes to our website and online reporting
The Council has refreshed a number of webpages over the last 18
months. Work is ongoing so you might occasionally find page links that don’t
work, but overall, we hope the information is now presented more clearly. We
are also introducing a range of online reporting tools (forms) see My Reading Account information and advice – Reading Borough Council.
Upcoming changes in legislation
Minimum Energy Efficiency standard (MEES)
The Domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) Regulations set a minimum energy efficiency level for domestic private rented properties.
The Regulations apply to all domestic private rented properties that are:
- let on specific types of tenancy agreement
- legally required to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
The current minimum energy efficiency rating, i.e. the figure shown on your energy performance certificate, is E. This means that F and G rated properties cannot be rented out. There are certain exemptions, but if you want to rely on these exemptions, you must register them on a national register.
There are proposals for this minimum rating to increase over time to a C- rating. The government recently launched a consultation on this which you can find at Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes: consultation document (HTML) – GOV.UK.
Separately the Government recently concluded a consultation into other aspects of the EPC regime including a proposal to extend the requirement to HMOs Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime – GOV.UK.
Landlords are advised to look now at whether their property already complies with the current minimum rating and whether the correct exemption has been registered. Check the guidance at: Domestic private rented property: minimum energy efficiency standard – landlord guidance – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
To register an exemption, please visit: https://prsregister.beis.gov.uk/.
Renters Rights Bill:
Many landlords will be aware of proposed changes to landlord and tenant law currently being considered by Parliament. It is too early to be certain what the new regulations will be, or when they might come into force, but some key points are:
- The end of section 21 of the Housing act 1988, removing the option for a ‘no fault’ eviction process.
- Changes to landlord possession grounds.
- Changes to rent increase restrictions.
- A proposal to allow pets as part of tenancy agreements.
- Introduction of a national landlord register
- Proposals to introduce redress schemes for landlords (similar to those for letting and managing agents.
- Extending Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector (with set timescales for completion of certain works)
This is a developing piece of legislation; although we expect some aspects may become law later this year it is too early to be certain. We recommend you keep an eye out for these changes via the Government website or through your landlord organisation.
Supported Housing regulation: consultation
Supported housing is a housing service where housing, support and/or care services are provided to help people to live as independently as possible. It is where people live as a tenant but also get some support to live there.
Supported housing can be someone living in a flat by themselves, living in a shared house or living in a network or block of flats where everyone gets support.
There are a number of supported housing units from multiple providers in Reading.
The government recently launched a consultation how to measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023. It focuses on the detail of a licensing regime and National Supported Housing Standards and includes content on Housing Benefit.
Last updated on 28/05/2025
Landlord Focus – summer 2025