Section 58 — Housing Act 2004: Designation needs confirmation or general approval to be effective

Designation needs confirmation or general approval to be effective 58 1 A designation of an area as subject to additional licensing cannot come into force unless—

a it has been confirmed by the appropriate national authority; or b it falls within a description of designations in relation to which that authority has given a general approval in accordance with subsection (6).

2 The appropriate national authority may either confirm, or refuse to confirm, a designation as it considers appropriate.

3 If the appropriate national authority confirms a designation, the designation comes into force on the date specified for this purpose by that authority.

4 That date must be no earlier than three months after the date on which the designation is confirmed.

5 A general approval may be given in relation to a description of designations framed by reference to any matters or circumstances.

6 Accordingly a general approval may (in particular) be given in relation to—

a designations made by a specified local housing authority;

b designations made by a local housing authority falling within a specified description of such authorities;

c designations relating to HMOs of a specified description. “ Specified ” means specified by the appropriate national authority in the approval.

7 If, by virtue of a general approval, a designation does not need to be confirmed before it comes into force, the designation comes into force on the date specified for this purpose in the designation.

8 That date must be no earlier than three months after the date on which the designation is made.