In forceUpdated to 1 Jul 2026

Contents

Social Residential Homes Act 2025 · Updated to 1 Jul 2026 · Part 2 · Licensing of Operators Ofsocial Residential Homes

8. Grant of licence

(1)

Subject to this section, after considering any application under section 7 for or to renew a licence, the Director‑General may —

(a)

on payment of —

(i)

a licence fee (if prescribed), grant the applicant a licence; or

(ii)

a renewal fee (if prescribed), renew the licence; or (b)refuse to grant or renew the licence, as the case may be.

(2)

In deciding whether an applicant should be granted a licence, or whether an applicant’s licence should be renewed, and the conditions to impose or modify, the Director‑General must have regard, and give any weight that the Director‑General considers appropriate, to all of the following matters:

(a)

whether the applicant, and every key appointment holder (including every intended key appointment holder) of the applicant, are suitable persons to operate or be involved in the operation of (as the case may be) the licensable SRH to which the application relates;

(b)

whether the premises are suitable to be used as the licensable SRH to which the application relates, having regard to —

(i)

the capacity of the premises to provide accommodation, facilities and equipment for the residents of the licensable SRH; and

(ii)

the fire safety, public health and sanitation requirements prescribed under this Act or any other written law;

(c)

the likelihood that the applicant, in operating the licensable SRH to which the application relates, will comply with the requirements of this Act and any code of practice applicable to the licensable SRH;

(d)

the applicant’s ability to operate the licensable SRH to which the application relates in a manner that ensures the safety, welfare and wellbeing of the residents of the licensable SRH;

(e)

whether it would be contrary to the development of the social services sector for the licence to be granted to the applicant;

(f)

whether it would be otherwise contrary to the public interest for the licence to be granted to the applicant.

(3)

To avoid doubt, the Director‑General is not confined to consideration of the matters specified in subsection (2) and may take into account any other matters and evidence that may be relevant.

(4)

Without affecting subsection (1), the Director‑General may grant a renewal of a licence with or without modifying the conditions of the licence, but section 11(2), (3) and (4) does not apply to, or in relation to, granting a renewal of a licence with modifications to the conditions of the licence.

(5)

The Director‑General may subdivide the licences that the Director‑General grants under this section into classes, such as according to the type of licensable SRH that a licence authorises a licensee to operate, and may grant a licence accordingly.

Read on from s 9

Part 3