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TODAY'S OTHER NEWS

Government rejects licensing scheme plea by local council

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has said No to a plea by a south east council to renew its landlord licensing scheme.

Hastings council charged £665 per property for a licensing scheme scheduled to expire this coming October - but now MHCLG has rejected it.

The Labour authority leader, Kim Forward, is quoted in the local media as saying:“We are bitterly disappointed…[The scheme] has brought about an improvement in the conditions to rented properties and the fact that this additional protection is no longer available means it is the tenants that will suffer as a result.”

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The Conservative opposition on the council, and local Tory MP Sally-Ann Hart, had opposed the licensing scheme, referring to not as outdated. 

Andy Patmore, Conservative group leader on the council, is quoted as saying that there are already adequate regulatory tools for local authorities to use to regulate the private rental sector.

“New energy performance regulations (EPC) require properties to be warm and dry and meet strict health and safety requirements in terms of prevention of damp in the ambient environment” he says.

“Electrical installation legislation now requires landlords to provide completely safe wiring in accommodation. Right to Rent legislation means that tenants are treated fairly and equitably. Gas-Safe regulations require gas installations to be safe and efficient. Fire safety regulations require regular checks to fire alarms and carbon monoxide detection systems.”

The MHCLG is reported to have made its decision in May, saying the council had not put forward a sufficiently strong argument to trigger a renewal.

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    "referring to not as outdated". What does that mean? Is it even English?

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    Prob meant 'referring to it as outdated'.

     
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    It’s a typo

  • Mark Connelly

    Good on the government. Councils wrongly feel they can get a renewal of their selective licence scheme but if they don’t make sufficient progress in the first five years why is the second going to be any different?

  • Keith  Johnson

    "It will be the tenants that suffer " cash generating scheme that the tenants ultimately have to pay

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    Kim, leader of Hastings Council is bitterly disappointed and rightly so, what’s she going to do now for money for nothing, now that her soft money extortion racket has hit the buffers.

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    At last a sensible voice from the Tory’s on that council. Yes with all the certifications and the regulatory powers that are already in place licensing is just a nonsense legalised theft. Well done to them and I hope there common sense is taken on board by the many unfit for office councillors that crawl there way into authority.

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    I run a charity which works to prevent deaths and injuries from carbon monoxide poisoning. We are in favour of licensing and making sure law and regulations are complied with BEFORE someone dies or is injured. Prosecutions are at an all time low of about 4 a year, which, in our opinion, is just insulting. Also obviously it is better for everyone to prevent rather than prosecute.
    HOWEVER £665 is surely OUTRAGEOUS? How much does the licensing scheme actually cost?

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    Stephanie,

    I totally agree with what your saying in terms of prevention. However the licencing scheme prevented nothing. Quiet often the licence was given after payment with no inspection undertaken. The new regulations have come in to make rental properties a much safer place for people to stay in and any law abiding landlord makes sure their property is safe.

    Any landlord who is not law-abiding is also highly unlikely to register for any licensing scheme so once again the system fails there.

    Unfortunately these licencing schemes are just another way of local councils legally taking your money and adding no value.

     
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    As a Gas engineer I can tell you inspection reports already ask the question about co detectors. If that was made mandatory in property fitted with gas appliances as part of the annual inspection what you point out would be covered. You don’t need licenses from money grabbing Councils to solve this issue. I’m all for detectors being mandatory and all my properties have them.

     
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    The property I let already had had carbon monoxide monitors installed but the property I rent did not.
    I had to buy and install them.

     
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    • 12 July 2021 09:54 AM

    Well done to the tory government. Some common sense at last.

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    We are already required to be have carbon monoxide detectors. People in various trades & business creating income at LL’s expense, anymore more for band wagon its hardly relevant what they come up with anymore. We are continuously held to ransom no matter what we do and digital tax reporting coming that traditional LL’s cannot do. It will be a big collapse so all those regulators better find another job.

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    Stephanie good luck with your Charity, people get killed every other day crossing the road it better to ban people crossing the road now then they won’t get killed.

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    Berlin seriously considering seizure of LL’s property to solve their housing shortage.
    They must have been watching what’s happening in the UK, we have had all our right removed and transferred to Tenant same difference, we only think we own them, run & maintain them 24/7 for Government while putting ourselves at risk and constantly under threat with legal action.

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    co detectors are required if gas fire or wood burner in room?

    20 mph limits are also for revenue raising

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    The local thieving council charged licencing fee for our 3 bed ex council flat, after 2 years they came to inspect and wanted me to tell tenants to keep all internal doors closed, to put in a smoke alarm even though i had them at bottom of stairs and at top, put an electric heater in small ensuite. Break glass box with key inside on wall by front door and then write on wall only to be used in an emergency. I had three tenants. I asked them if they applied the same rules to the other 50 odd council run flats in the same block as mine, they said no they didnt, so i refused to comply until they applied the same rules to their flats some of which had 5 or 6 persons living in i also said i would be informing all social media what a bunch of theives they were and that they had No health snd safety rules for their council tenants.
    Within a month they applied the same rules to their propetties.. Within a year they stop asking for my 3 bed to be licenced. LiberalLabour run council, useless bunch of dinlows.

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    The old '' do as I say not as I do '' rules again

     
    Theodor Cable

    Well done Steve.

     
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    Steve, you might as well do what they want they hold all the aces and nothing to lose. It doesn’t have to be a Flat in a Block but house next door I have had that several times since 2006. I had to license for 5 max, Housing Association rented next door & across the road had far more occupants (up to 10 their friends lived there as well) than me rules didn’t apply to them, all on the system. I have been banging on about this since introduced 15 years ago (other parts of uk had 15 years grace) only applies to one have of the Community, so much injustice.

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    No you did not read what i put, i did Not do what they asked until they confirmed that they had applied same rules to their own rented out properties.
    Then a year later they dropped the licencing of my type of property altogether.
    No don't not give in to theiving councils, the same applies to the way they steal council tax from professional LLs.
    Just because they are the council does not make everything they try to inforce, right! So No Way.

     
  • Franklin I

    Interesting decision made by the government over the local council. The local council will now have to claw back these lost funds through parking restrictions, the School Streets Programme – camera-enforced closing of streets outside schools etc

  • George Dawes

    I just fell off my chair

    Common sense from a politician !!?!

    Somebody pinch me , must be dreaming

  • Mick Roberts

    Brilliant.
    Let's hope Nottingham don't get renewed as my tenants have paid a fortune in rent increases to pay for Nottingham Council Selective Licensing and they've received nothing in return, not one inspection.

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