LANDLORDS in Bromsgrove will be subject to new licensing rules from October 1.

From next month, landlords with shared houses or properties of multiple occupation (HMO) that are occupied by five or more people living as more than one household will need a license.

The district council is warning landlords to ensure they have applied for the licence prior to the October implementation date.

Cllr Kit Taylor, whose portfolio covers housing, said: “It is very important to us that our residents are provided with decent and safe accommodation which complies with regulations.

"We will always support landlords to provide this but any who fail to licence their properties should be aware that the council enforcement team will not hesitate to take legal action against them.

"Landlords who fail to apply for an HMO licence could be prosecuted in a Magistrates' Court with unlimited fines.”

The HMO licence is usually issued for up to five years, with a fee of £100 per person living in the property.

Currently the licence applies only to HMOs which are three or more storeys in height.

Landlords can download an application form from bromsgrove.gov.uk/hmo. For more information contact the council's private sector housing team at pshteam@bromsgroveandredditch.gov.uk or by calling 01527 534123.