NEWPORT Council is to put up the cost of licences for landlords with houses occupied by more than six people.

Currently, owners of so-called houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) with three or more people living in them pay £850 for their initial licence and £650 for a renewal – both discounted.

This will stay the same for landlords of homes with three to five occupants, but those with six or more will pay an extra £50 per occupant to a maximum of £1,500 for a new licence and £1,300 for a renewal.

A council report says the aim is to charge landlords a higher fee for larger properties to cover additional resources used by the council to license them.

In 2008 Newport introduced an additional licensing scheme which covered smaller HMOs including properties with three or more households as well as poorly converted self-contained flats. Since that scheme’s introduction, 252 properties have been improved, and by the end of March 2013 the council had 539 HMOs licensed.

Senior Tory Cllr David Fouweather called for the authority to take a proactive stance in dealing with landlords who fail to meet expected standards, and if necessary remove their license.