Landlords of as many as 800 shared homes in Canterbury could be forced to pay back rent to tenants if they are not licensed under new government rules.

Owners of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) - which are typically rented to students - could also face prosecution or £30,000 fines for failing to comply with the new legislation.

Currently, HMOs are defined as those that are rented to five or more people not in the same household, are at least three storeys high and have shared facilities such as a toilet or bathroom.

New rules coming into effect on October 1 remove the height criteria, meaning an estimated 800 more homes in the district will need to be licensed at a cost of £1,068 per property.

Landlords not forking out before the deadline not only face hefty fines, but their tenants could claim back any rent paid during the period the property remains unlicensed.

Canterbury City Council is urging landlords to submit their applications quickly.

Cllr Neil Baker said: “This is the biggest shake-up of HMO licensing rules for many years and aims to improve standards in this type of accommodation.

“We’ve been talking with landlords for some time about these changes, so it’s not news to them, but this is now the final push to ensure outstanding applications come into us as soon as they can.

"We will turn them round as quickly as possible, but we don’t want a situation where everything is left until the last minute.”

Under current HMO licensing rules, only 210 properties in the district are licensed.

More information and an HMO licence application form are available on the council’s website at www.canterbury.gov.uk.