Cllr Gerri Bird (Executive Cllr for Housing) stated: ‘In line with our vision of Cambridge being a city which strives to ensure that all residents are living in suitable, affordable local homes, the Council takes the matter of safety and suitability within the private rented sector very seriously.’

Since the extension of mandatory House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing in 2018, the Council has secured two full time employed enforcement officers and one Licensing Support administration officer to work on licensing HMO residences in the city. On top of this licensing work, the council has also procured an additional part time officer to work across the private rented sector to ensure landlords have the appropriate Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings. Improving properties’ EPC ratings is essential, as they indicate any efficiency and cost-saving measures tenants and residents could make in their home.

Over the past year, 132 mandatory HMO licence applications have been received and processed following proactive submissions of applications as well as upon intervention by enforcement officers. A further 161 proactive inspections of HMOs were conducted and 153 brought up to standard. The Council will also take appropriate enforcement action, including revoking HMO licenses if properties do not meet licensing regulation.

There are suspected to be in the region of 640 further buildings within the City which may be HMOs and require to be licensed. Work has started to identify and inspect these buildings and a review of the resources available to carry out this task is being conducted to ensure that they are all inspected within an appropriate timescale.

Cllr Bird continued ‘Supporting and safeguarding the rights of private tenants has been a long-term manifesto commitment of Cambridge Labour, and we wish to work alongside community organisations to strengthen this work going forwards’

For further information about private renters’ rights in Cambridge, the City Council has a dedicated webpage here: https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/information-for-private-tenants. For any housing-related issues, you can speak to a housing support officer by calling 01223 457900 or emailing env.health@cambridge.gov.uk.