Paid advice service for landlords

The Council provides a wide range of advice and information for landlords, including links to industry guides and relevant legislation.

However, if you are a landlord and own a property in Colchester and would like to apply and pay for a bespoke advisory service, tailored to your property and your needs, you can using the link below. 

Apply for the PSH advisory service now

We aim to respond to your enquiry within 5 working days. 

How much does the service cost?

The cost for the advice service is £145 per hour +VAT. The cost for the preparation of floor plans where required is £300 +VAT for a property with up to five lettings, with an additional fee of £42 + VAT for each additional letting over the standard five. The floor plan drawing fee is a set fee and in addition to any fee for the advice service.

What does this service cover?

The Private Sector Housing advisory service is a service provided to assist you to comply with your legal obligations as a landlord relating to housing standards in properties within Colchester.

It is available to owners or agents of properties within the city that may be considering the suitability of a property for renting to a single household, or use of a property as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). This is not an exhaustive list of situations in which we would be able to assist.

This service can include telephone and email advice, a property inspection, preparation of floor plans and a scheme of works to remove housing hazards assessed using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

For Houses in Multiple Occupation, this service includes advice on ensuring the property meets expected fire safety standards, and the acceptable provision of bathroom and kitchen facilities, bedroom and living/dining space. We can also offer advice on how to comply with the specific Regulations relating to management of HMOs.

For Houses in Multiple Occupation that fall within the scope of the mandatory HMO licensing scheme (those with five or more unrelated occupiers), this service also includes advice on complying with any additional requirements relating to the licensing process.

What doesn't this service cover?

This service is not available for properties outside of the city.

This service does not constitute planning pre-application advice, or advice to comply with current Building Regulations. You may need to seek advice from Planning and/or Building Control services separately and pay an applicable charge.
 
Floor plans prepared are solely illustrative to support an HMO licencing application made under the Housing Act 2004 and are not technical plans to support any application made under Building Regulations, or to meet any other legal/regulatory requirements.

This service is not available in relation to any property subject to an active investigation for housing conditions.

No service is available to survey a property prior to purchase for mortgage application purposes or to provide advice on the suitability of a property for purchase for the rental market.

This service does not provide advice on your legal obligations regarding letting law and landlord and tenant law and cannot be used to mediate in disputes with tenants.