Sutton Council has launched plans to crack down on potential rogue landlords and ensure tenants living in private rented housing in the borough live in good conditions.
The Council will now start consultation on a scheme to licence all the borough’s Homes in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) - houses split into smaller units with shared facilities. If agreed, the new licensing scheme would start in spring 2026.
HMO licensing makes sure that all homes in the private rented sector are safe, well-managed, and provide good-quality basic facilities for tenants living in them. In Sutton, a mandatory licence is already needed for HMOs with five or more people from two or more households. Property owners in Sutton who want to convert homes into HMOs now need planning permission.
The new council policy would cover smaller HMOs with three or more people who are not related. All existing and new HMOs within the borough will need to apply for a licence. Where offences are proved, the Council can issue fines or prosecute. In extreme cases, where a landlord persistently fails to comply with licence conditions or are absent, the Council can consider taking over direct management of the HMO.
The new powers would also allow council officers to inspect licensed properties to ensure they meet the required standards. Licensing also places specific obligations on the landlord to prove that their property is safe and allows the Council to enforce these rules.
The HMO landlord would be required to pay for a licence to rent the properties. The Council would use this money to carry out checks on the landlord and property prior to issuing the licence, inspect licensed properties, identify landlords that fail to meet the licence conditions, and take enforcement action when needed.
The consultation runs for three months until 8 September 2025.
Councillor Jake Short, Chair of Sutton’s Housing, Economy & Business Committee, said:
“Ensuring our residents have access to quality and affordable housing in Sutton is one of the Council’s top priorities.
“That’s why we are building over 500 new council homes over the next five years, improving our existing stock and working with partners to build all types of new housing in Sutton. But we also want to look after the growing number of Sutton residents living in private rented accommodation.
“The vast majority of private landlords offer good-quality homes, but we have been taking steps over the past few years to ensure HMOs in the borough meet a good standard. We need to strike the right balance between building new homes and also making sure they are in the right places, are of a high quality and do not impact negatively on existing communities.
“Introducing a licensing scheme for all HMOs would make a real difference to those tenants. It will also protect the borough’s existing family-sized accommodation from being converted into smaller flats, as well as reducing anti-social behaviour, environmental crimes and parking pressures.
“We now want residents to give their views on these new proposals in our consultation on HMOs and help Sutton to get tough on rogue landlords. Working together, through this consultation and in the months after, we will do all we can to secure a fairer deal for Sutton’s renters."
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