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Majority oppose licensing - but Labour council set to ignore verdict

South Tyneside council is considering a selective licensing in two areas of South Shields - and looks likely to ignore its own consultation results.

The licences for landlords would come with a number of conditions described by the council as “ensuring accommodation was of a high standard and well-managed.” 

The authority continues: “The scheme would hold landlords and tenants more accountable for the care and cleanliness of the accommodation and surrounding area - issues which currently incur significant cost to the council to manage.”

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Formal consultation was carried out earlier this year, with letters sent to over 4,000 households, landlords and businesses in the proposed areas as well as drop-in sessions and presentations at landlord forums. 

The council received 49 responses; 25 objected to the scheme - all who objected were either landlords or landlords who also live in the affected areas.

Councillor Mark Walsh, lead member of the authority for housing and transport, says: "The private rented sector plays an important role in South Tyneside's housing market, but some areas present challenges where properties have been subject to neglect, leading to increased anti-social behaviour.

"Introducing selective licensing in these zones will give the council a tool to tackle some of the worst privately-rented accommodation in the borough in a coordinated and adequately resourced way, alongside engaging proactively with landlords and improving relationships.

"It would help provide tenants with a greater choice of safe, good quality and well-managed accommodation and turnover and the number of empty properties would be reduced.”

The council has 54 seats; 48 are held by Labour.

 

Walsh adds: "In the supportive comments received, the reduction in anti-social behaviour was a consistent theme; tenants and residents had experienced it first-hand and believed a selective licensing scheme would help deter it."

He says the leading councillors who form a ruling ‘cabinet” are recommended to approve the introduction of the scheme in both areas, for a period of five years. 

“It would be developed to be self-financing, with any income generated used for the running of the scheme of improvements in the licensed areas” he claims.

Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.

Poll: Should a council be bound by a consultation result?

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  • George Dawes

    So much for a democracy

     G romit

    ....only when the outcome supports what the authorities want to do!

     
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    True...
    Sadly, we have now entered the post-democratic era. Look at what is happening - Covid has provided the means for change, there will be no turning back!

     
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    • 29 October 2020 06:56 AM

    Communists which is what Labour are have no interest in democracy but they will use it to further their ends

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    I never understood why Houses in Multiple Occupation (HM0) applied to grown up adults and not Family's who maybe elderly or young with Children which are much more vulnerable and far more likely to knock something over or do something through innocents or mischief, surely it should be the other way around.

  • icon

    Typical Labour, in my borough, London borough of B(r)ent, it is just a licence to print money at £540 a pop for a 5 year selective licence. In 2018, this council made a record, 1 landlord conviction. As a licence holder you do not get to see where your money goes, you get no reports on successes, just an automated e mail once you’ve been suckered for the payment.

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    • 29 October 2020 09:53 AM

    And I bet they never fill in the pot holes ever?

     
     G romit

    Be thankful it's £1500 in Bristol

     
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    Landlords above complain about new licensing. Surprise, surprise. This is done in the interests of tenants, not landlords. If all landlords were responsible, this would not be necessary. No-one can deny there are tenanted properties that are unsafe, run-down, and over-crowded for their size. Licences were needed to keep dogs once - so why not for people's rented homes, much more important? And why politicise licences? There are repeated mentions of 'Labour' council. Why? Completely irrelevant. Conservative and LibDem councils might also be bringing these in to help protect their tenants. It's the direction of travel. Just pay for the greater good, i.e. tenants' well-being and safety. 'Licence to print money'? More like a progressive tax payable only by those who possess more than one property.

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    If all TENANTS were responsible, landlords wouldn't have to make such expensive provisions to compensate for the feckless minority who put up the costs for the sensible majority.

     
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    Don't have a problem with the licencing, it's the cost, but then as in any business these costs will over time filter through to the end user, the tenant.

     
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    • 29 October 2020 10:03 AM

    Let them do it. As an extra charge on my business, all the Council are doing is making rent more expensive for tenants.

    Anyhow, I don't give a s**t as I always charge an extra 15% for any external authority charges pile on.

    In this case, if my Council charge me £540, then simply, that will get passed to my tenants costing them the £540 + £81.00 - TOTAL to tenant £621.00 meaning they pay an extra £51 a year.

    Well done all Authorities.....You have just made tenants pay a lot more money that costs me absolutely zero. Indeed, I profit from your perceived income.

    And I just LOVE making money for nothing. Well done. Please continue. I love what you are doing.

    And even better, tenenats cannot do anything about it either.

     
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    • 29 October 2020 10:10 AM

    I have no problem with it:

    Let them do it. As an extra charge on my business, all the Council are doing is making rent more expensive for tenants.

    Anyhow, I don't give a s**t as I always charge an extra 15% for any external authority charges pile on.

    In this case, if my Council charge me £540, then simply, that will get passed to my tenants costing them the £540 + £81.00 - TOTAL to tenant £621.00 meaning they pay an extra £51 a year.

    Well done all Authorities.....You have just made tenants pay a lot more money that costs me absolutely zero. Indeed, I profit from your perceived income.

    And I just LOVE making money for nothing. Well done. Please continue. I love what you are doing.

    And even better, tenenats cannot do anything about it either.

     
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    Your definitely a green voter are you not David wirth

     
  • PossessionFriendUK PossessionFriend

    .. “The scheme would hold landlords and tenants more accountable for the care and cleanliness of the accommodation and surrounding area - issues which currently incur significant cost to the council to manage.”

    How on earth does paying a fee for a piece of paper ensure this ?
    If there are issues with the condition of a property, there are more than adequate means for Tenants to address this and the Council already have more than enough powers to ensure any property defects are rectified.

    The truth of the matter lies in the last part of their comment, - ' incur significant costs to manage.' - In other words, the Council are going to charge landlords to shore up their budgets. !!!

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    Surely they just need to create a mandatory self-service database of landlords as part of the council web presence, with an information sheet of expectations, which would cost very little to run once set up. Then they could randomly inspect a certain number of properties each year to keep both landlords and tenants on their toes, and fund it from penalties given out. Any landlords failing with one property could have others scrutinised, and anyone found not to be on the list within a reasonable time could also be fined. Tenants not keeping the property in a fit state could be dealt with similarly as that is often a bigger issue than landlord neglect.

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    • 29 October 2020 10:06 AM

    So what you are advocating is a simple and cheap effective LL licensing system with LL being required to register or be committing an offence if attempting to let without the required very cheap licences.
    These could be £100 per property and LL for 5 year periods
    .
    I can't see any problems with such a system.
    Good LL will register.

    How will councils catch those LL that don't!?

     
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    • 29 October 2020 10:09 AM

    And how will the Councils stop me from increasing my rents as and when I want to according to contract?

    They are making it all much worse.

     
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    • 29 October 2020 10:28 AM

    Of course the elephant in the room is that as far as I am aware these selective licences don't ask the correct questions.

    So for mortgaged LL show us a letter confirming CTL and in particular CTL to your current DSS tenants.

    Show us the insurance policy which covers letting the property to DSS tenants.

    Show us any freeholder permissions that might be required to be able to let to any type of tenant on any sort of letting agreement.

    Prove that all your current tenants have the RTR.

    Prove that your property complies with EPC regulations and if any exemptions then show us the exemption certificate.

    Provide copies of TA and detail the occupants who reside at the property.

    Just answering that little lot will result in millions of homeless as many LL will not ve able to give satisfactory if any answer.
    Consequently those properties should be restricted from being let until the LL answers them.

    The cost of TA for Councils with all of a sudden thousands of homeless tenants will make even expensive licences nowhere near enough to pay for all the extra costs that Councils will have to fund for the homeless made so by a stringent licensing regime.

    Councils would be wise to not dig around the fraudulent PRS.

    There are millions of fraudulent tenancies out there.
    Do the Councils intend to pay to house them ALL!!!??




    .

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    Mr Wirth, no Surprise Surprise at all, we know what the Licensing schemes are nothing new to me I have all mine licensed for years & some a number of times even four so I won't accept a lecture about how good they are having done so much damage to me and my business. The things they are suppose to prevent they cause like sub-letting, overcrowding and Anti- Social Behavior. I have had it all, houses that there were never a problem with for 30 years prior when the LL was in control and could enter the property not that I would unnecessarily but the Tenants knew they couldn't get away with all those thing so it didn't happen it just more interference all the time to make it unworkable as a result of all this, complaints several from neighbours, police around again & again, Council on my back threatening me with action, that they knew sure I couldn't do anything about. I wrote to the Tenants every time & the Council copied-in, of course they said it wouldn't happen again but did. Then Council wanted to interview me to see if I was a fit & property person when I advised the Tenants I was not prepared to continue with the Tenancy, so the Council didn't want me to get rid of them either, there you go. It would take too much time to tell all what other grief / problems & costs HM0's caused me.

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    • 29 October 2020 12:14 PM

    LOL

    So you mean you wished to get rid of tenants who the Council considered were abusing the tenancy and when you attempted to remove these tenants the Council objected..................wtf!!!!!!!!!!???

    Councils live in a world of their own completely detached from reality.

    You really couldn't make it up!

  • Ruan Gildchirst

    The time of the LL easy income has ended

    It’s going to be at least two years to evict a non paying tenant

    LLs should be greatful to have a non paying tenant in, if it’s empty then squatters could get in

    LLs should look for good property caretakers to stop squatters wrecking the place

  • icon

    Get up to date on property law before posting such nonsense. Squatting in residential properties is illegal.

    BTW, it's bad form to"like" your own posts but I guess you must have been feeling a bit Ruan No Mates?

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