Commentary on Sections Part 1 Regulation of Private Rented Housing Section 26 – Expiry and renewal of licence
58.A licence expires after a period of five years beginning with the date on which it was granted unless the licence holder applies for it to be renewed. Generally, sections 19 to 21 apply to applications to renew licences as they apply to applications for a first licence. The only difference is that on renewal, the licensing authority will not have to assign a new licence number to the licence holder (the existing number will be re-used).
59.Applying these sections to renewal applications means that: a) an application will have to be made in accordance with the requirements specified by section 19(1) (be accompanied by a fee and information etc.); b) before granting a renewed licence, the relevant licensing authority will need to be satisfied, in accordance with section 20, that the applicant for renewal is a fit and proper person and c) satisfied that any requirements specified by regulations in respect of training are met.
60.If an application for renewal is refused, the licence expires on a date determined in accordance with subsection (6). The applicant has 28 days beginning with the date the licence holder was notified of the decision to refuse the renewal application within which to bring an appeal.
61.If a licence holder dies, the licence expires automatically. Any renewal application made by the licence holder beforehand is treated as being withdrawn. The same applies in the case where a body corporate (a company, for example) is dissolved.