If you are a private landlord and need help with your property licence application, you have come to the right place.
McDowalls Surveyors Ltd, have developed a hassle-free, one-stop-shop service to help you obtain the correct licence for your property. We have processed over 800 licence applications, so you and your property will be in experienced and very safe hands.
Our service will also check that your property complies with the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, helping to keep your tenants safe and avoiding a penalty of up to £5,000.
The private rented sector has doubled in size over the last ten years and now makes up over a quarter of the housing stock in London. As a result some London Boroughs are seeking to gain more control over the private rental market by introducing property-licensing schemes. Some councils only licence houses in multiple occupation whereas others licence all rented properties including single family houses and flats. Landlord are required to submit a separate application for each property that needs to be licensed.
As a landlord, if you get things wrong you could face harsh consequences: prosecution in Magistrates Court with the possibility of an unlimited fine, having to repay up to 12 months rent and losing the ability to evict your tenants using a Section 21 Notice of Seeking Possession. It is therefore vital that you get this right.
To check whether your property falls within a licensing scheme in London, you can visit the free information resource at www.londonpropertylicensing.co.uk and search for the borough you are interested in. It is quick and easy to use. For properties outside London, you will need to check with your local council.
We aim to keep the process simple. For property licensing within the London area, we offer reasonable fixed-fees for processing your licence application from start to finish:
• Selective licence application (excluding licence application fee): £480 inclusive of VAT
• Mandatory HMO or additional licence application, up to six occupants (excluding licence application fee): £900 inclusive of VAT
• HMOs with 7 or more occupants: Price on application (POA)
Please note that landlords with 4 or more properties benefit from a 10% discount.
Our comprehensive service provides you with the following:
• Advice on obtaining the correct licence for your property.
• A useful information pack about the licence application process including how to maximise licence fee discounts, who should be the licence holder and an explanation of the documentation you will need to provide.
• A site visit, measured floor-plan and Energy Performance Certificate.
• A template notification form that you can send to everyone with an interest in the property - this is a legal requirement.
• A fire safety procedure and a property manager notice (essential in HMOs).
• Preparation of a hard copy or online licence application form.
• Telephone advice from an experienced Environmental Health Officer during the licence application process (fair usage policy applies; advice is restricted to issues associated with the licence application).
• A free initial telephone consultation with a property taxation professional (up to 20 minutes).
If necessary, we can also arrange extras services such as gas and electrical safety certificates, portable appliance testing, fire risk assessments, fitting or smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, etc. Please ask for our current price list.
Between April 2011 to March 2014, there were 580 prosecutions against London landlords who failed to comply with the law. Don’t make the same mistake as them. You can pay a small price for getting your property licensed. Alternatively, you run the risk of damaging your reputation as a landlord, incurring financial penalties and criminal prosecution.
We are a small, independent business based in Newham that provides an honest, trustworthy and reliable service. Our business has been around since 1880; we are members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Ombudsman Services Property.
Chris Baker, the owner of McDowalls, sits on Newham Council’s Landlord Licensing Focus Group and has been involved in the continuous monitoring of the scheme that has seen over 30,000 properties licensed. He is also closely involved with the licensing schemes operated by Barking & Dagenham, Brent, Croydon and Waltham Forest Councils.
Please contact Chris Baker, our Managing Director, to discuss how we can help you deal with your licensing requirements:
Tel: 0208 472 4422
Email: chris.baker@mcdowalls.com
This specialist property licensing service is available for all private landlords from individuals to corporate clients throughout London and the South East.
Jo Hawker, Project Manager, Croydon Council said:
“McDowalls offer professional, concise and helpful information relating to licensing. They have a wealth of experience and subject knowledge and were instrumental in providing “a landlord’s viewpoint” in the development of the online application form which made it more straight forward for customers to use.”
Toby Scrutton, Chairman of Newham Council’s Licensing Forum said:
“As the chairman of London Borough of Newham’s Licensing forum, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the outstanding local firm of McDowalls in East Ham. The team in the office are truly dedicated professionals, they cover every aspect of housing. One area of specialism has become the licensing of the rental property in Newham primarily and subsequently all across greater London as more councils have adopted similar frameworks for strict compliance. The customer service is exceptional as they can provide the complete service required for bringing a rental property to the high standard of regulation requirements for licensing compliance.”
John Hubbard, Head of Private Sector Housing Initiatives, Waltham Forest Council said:
“McDowalls is an established company that is well known to the London Borough of Waltham Forest. From a very early stage they took an active role in the development of our licensing scheme playing a key role on or landlord user group. Their background is that of a managing agent and who work across the region for private clients and large corporate clients with thousands of units along with Housing Associations and Local Authorities. To my knowledge they have actively worked with and continue to do so with Waltham Forest, Newham and Croydon in the development of their licensing schemes.
"They helped directly with Waltham Forest with the design and implementation of the application form and the delivery of our digital solution for licensing. This involved user testing the systems and forms and the provision of clear and focussed feedback on their experiences in doing so. They took an active role in the promotion of our scheme to their clients and the feedback we have received indicates that this was a well thought out package well received by their clients.
"I continue to work with McDowalls as they take an active interest in the markets and areas they work in to ensure compliance with legislation and value their relationships with their clients (both landlord and tenants) as much as they do their working relations with the statutory bodies to ensure compliance in all aspects of their work.”
