Leicester is the latest council to begin consultations on selective licensing in six parts of the city - with the threat that other locations could be considered in future.
It has launched a public survey on selective licensing in the six areas, with the claim that the initiative “would help safeguard would-be tenants, who would know their landlord is correctly licenced to operate” and “would also help finance action to tackle ongoing problems of antisocial behaviour.”
The proposed scheme would cover about 20 per cent of the city’s private rented sector - so future schemes extending beyond that limit would need to be confirmed by the Secretary of State.
Leicester’s assistant city mayor for housing, councillor Andy Connelly, says: “It could prove particularly useful in areas with high numbers of rented properties, as well as places suffering wider problems such as antisocial behaviour or crime in which landlords have failed to take action which could remedy a situation.
“In running this public survey we want to get an idea of whether residents want us to take such an approach, and whether it would help safeguard tenants across the city.”
If the scheme goes ahead it will be implemented late in 2020.
Meanwhile in Dorset, licensing is also being considered for landlords who have properties in or near the town centre of Weymouth - specifically in the Melcombe Regis ward.
“The scheme would aim to address levels of deprivation experienced by many tenants in the area through improving the way housing is managed” says a council statement.
Councillor Gill Taylor adds: “We have a some really good landlords in Weymouth but we also have some who are not so good. Poor housing affects people’s physical and mental health. Everyone who rents should be able to live in a decent home. This is why we are considering introducing this scheme to improve housing standards. I believe that good landlords will support this scheme, as will tenants.”
However, a comment on the Weymouth and Portland council website says: “Most properties are now let through agencies. It involves quite a lot of red tape I can see no reason to license landlords. It seems yet another way to take away individual rights, complicate issues and cost the landlord more money. If you make it harder for landlords to rent their property there will be even more people on the streets. As people will stop renting out. Most rentals in this area are up to a good standard.”
The council responded to the comment by telling the individual to complete a consultation form.
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Parasites
more taxation, which will lead to less BTL landlords, less choice and rental increases
And then propaganda is spun because we’re the bad landlords for selling up and making people homeless
Everybody wants to milk the cow
at least they are taking consultation but does it mean that with opposition, it will not go ahead or will they go ahead anyway because they can. The end of the article show that they appreciate that it will push landlord away and create more social issues that they had failed to fix and had to rely on the prs. Let us hope that other council would follow their reasoning instead of imposing it onto the prs without due consideration from landlords. Its been very clear that majority of the landlord are law abiding and would follow the rules. Hence, this licensing scheme is a major player in getting huge revenues which does not see the daylights. Since hmo are bringing so much revenues, why are the MPs still giving extra grants by the millions to help the council manage hmo? Its abuse of public funds and taxpayers money. These should be use to provide cheaper housing or social housing if they are so huff up about prs. they should get their own act together and sort out the sorry state of the social housing.
Most LL would totally agree with a cheap and effective National LL licensing system to replace ALL other licensing systems
Good LL only want good LL in the PRS.
We want rid of the criminals.
So quite simply all that good LL require is that councils just ENFORCE the more than adequate legislation.
It is no good Councils stating they can't afford it so need expensive licensing schemes and even then that doesn't work as it just about pays for the costs of licensing with perhaps some surplus.
The PRS wants to be rid of LL who breach lender conditions by letting to DSS tenants.
Wants rid of Accidental LL who do not have CTL.
Rid of LL who do not have the correct insurance and by implication this includes most accidental LL as you can hardly have residential insurance if you are letting on an AST and if you do have BTL LL insurance that will be illegal because LL insurance is dependent on a lender giving CTL.
In short there is mass illegality occurring a licensing won't solve a thing.
Councils just need to enforce existing legislation.
But they refuse to.
How is that the LL fault!?
Of course if they did enforce and discovered properties not fit for habitation the council would be legally obligated to house them.
This they don't wish to do for obvious reasons..So councils don't really wish to find all the dodgy properties at all!!
The only thing Most Councils prosecute Landlords for, ... is -not having a license ( paying into their funding pot ! )
Vast majority of licensing scheme haven't made one iota of difference to the bad landlords.
Just a finance gathering exercise instead of Central Govt funding Local Authorities properly to do their job, - they're outsourcing that funding to Private landlords and still L.A's are not accomplishing what they are taking the money for.
Local ( and Central ) government are hiding behind a mask, the only thing they're not using is a gun.
More council now got the idea of increase revenue through prs, its not only the hmrc anymore. What makes them think that tackling anti social behaviour is the responsibilities of the PRS and to deal with it through licensing? This website does not make any difference unless we take it to the media. For years the council been tackling bad landlord without licensing. So this licensing is defeatist to tackle any issues considering that the council already have the powers to do so and this only serve to limit and cut off the much needed housing in the country
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