Statutory Instruments

1997 No. 229

HOUSING, ENGLAND AND WALES

The Houses in Multiple Occupation (Fees for Registration Schemes) Order 1997

Made

4th February 1997

Laid before Parliament

10th February 1997

Coming into force

3rd March 1997

The Secretary of State for the Environment as respects England, and the Secretary of State for Wales as respects Wales, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by section 346A(5) and (6) of the Housing Act 1985(1) and all other powers enabling them in that behalf, hereby make the following Order:

Citation and commencement

1. This Order may be cited as the Houses in Multiple Occupation (Fees for Registration Schemes) Order 1997 and shall come into force on 3rd March 1997.

Maximum Fee

2. The maximum fee that may be charged by a local housing authority for first registration of a house in multiple occupation under a scheme is-

(1) in the case of a registration scheme without control provisions, £80; and

(2) in the case of a registration scheme with control provisions, £60 multiplied by the number of habitable rooms;

and, for the purposes of paragraph (2) above, a room is habitable if it is of a type normally used in the locality either as a living room or a bedroom.

Transitional Provisions

3. Where-

(1) a house in multiple occupation to which a registration scheme ("the new scheme") applies is already registered under a scheme which is to be revoked by the registration scheme, and

(2) a fee has been paid to the local housing authority on its registration under the revoked scheme in the five year period prior to the date the new scheme comes into force,

then the fee paid shall be deducted from the fee payable to the local housing authority under the new scheme.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State

James Clappison

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State,

Department of the Environment

3rd February 1997

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Wales

Jonathan Evans

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Welsh Office

4th February 1997

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order specifies the maximum permissible fees that may be charged by a local housing authority under section 346A(4) of the Housing Act 1985 for the first registration of a house in multiple occupation under a registration scheme. Fees under the Houses in Multiple Occupation (Charges for Registration Schemes) Regulations 1991 continue to apply to fees for registration under schemes made before the date this order comes into force.

There are transitional provisions for houses registered under an existing scheme which is revoked by a new registration scheme. A registration fee paid within 5 years of the date the new scheme comes into force shall be deducted from the fee payable to a local housing authority under the new scheme.

(1)

1985 c. 68; section 346A was inserted by section 65 of the Housing Act 1996 (c. 52).