The provisions came into force in April 2006 and apply in England and Wales. In a Selective Licensing area, all private landlords must obtain a licence; the authority can take enforcement action if they fail to do so or don't achieve acceptable management standards.
The key certificates you need are: Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) Gas Safety Record (GSR) Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) with a rating of E or above. HETAS Certificate, if the property has a wood-burning stove or working fireplace that will be in use during the tenancy.
The first and foremost difference between licence vs license is with regards to the convention. Furthermore, the word licence is a convention of the United Kingdom, while license is a convention of the United States. In the UK convention, use of licence takes place as a noun, and license becomes the verb.
Leases are less flexible in nature and typically have a fixed term, while licences can be granted for a specific period or indefinitely.
You'll have a legal agreement with the landlord (sometimes known as the 'freeholder') called a 'lease'. This tells you how many years you'll own the property. Ownership of the property returns to the landlord when the lease comes to an end. Most flats are leasehold.
A license connotes the use or occupancy of the grantor's premises. But a lease grants exclusive possession of designated space to a tenant, subject to rights specifically reserved by the lessor. A license is cancellable at will and without cause.
Enfield's selective licensing scheme started on 1 September 2021. Selective licensing will apply to all privately rented residential properties occupied by 1 or 2 persons, or one family households, located in 14 wards (areas) across the borough.
A lease creates a property right in land, capable of being registered at HM Land Registry which can be sold, assigned, or inherited, while a licence is a personal right which cannot be transferred.
There is currently no overarching statutory regulation of private sector letting or managing agents in England. You do not need a qualification to to work as a letting agent and anyone can set up a lettings agency without any prior experience.
Tenancy or lease Technically in law, there is no difference between the terms "tenancy" and "lease". However, statutes relating to letting residential property most often use the word "tenancy", while those regulating commercial occupancy use the word "lease". As a result, we all tend to follow that usage.