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Landlords kick back against government licensing plan

A licensing scheme proposed for one part of the UK has been branded as “intrusive” for tenants and expensive for the landlords having to pay for it.

The government on Jersey - called the States - approved a scheme for five year landlord licensing; it is likely to be free at first but with powers for charges to be imposed in future.

However the local Jersey Evening Post newspaper and website says the Jersey Landlords’ Association describes the scheme as ‘intrusive and time-consuming’ and likely to be inconvenient with the benefit of identifying only “few bad landlords.”

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Last month local MP Rob Ward, proposing the new scheme, said: “It will ensure that the Government of Jersey, for the first time ever, has the necessary knowledge about what property is being rented out, and its suitability, occupancy and location. It is intended that a light touch will be adopted. The Environmental Health Team will continue to work with landlords and managing agents to achieve compliance within an agreed timetable.”

The subject is set to be debated by States MPs again today. 

Ahead of that the JLA statement says the estimated running cost of £600,000 to £700,000 for the scheme is too low and that ‘worthier causes’ could benefit from that money.

The statement continues: “It would be much cheaper – and less intrusive – to empower tenants, ie to encourage them to complain through education and appropriate protections.

“Tenants will complain with the right level of protection; we just need to find out what it is. Our members are concerned about the increasing regulatory burden, and many are thinking about exiting the sector.”

You can see the full article here.

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  • John  Adams

    Unfortunately, these schemes are becoming widespread, but they don't serve the published purpose of removing bad landlords, they simply become money-making schemes for local councils who then don't actually carry out the inspections. If they were a reasonable fee subsidised by fines for those who are in serious breaches and have had past warnings, we might get somewhere, but rather like Parking Tickets the claimed purpose is superseded by the money-grabbing potential.

  • PossessionFriendUK PossessionFriend

    If Local Authorities don't know what properties are being rented, from within their own Council tax data, - they'd be too incompetent to deal with bad landlords, unfortunately.

    John  Adams

    Part of the problem is that many LA have sold off the admin to the likes of Serco, and so one hand doesn't know what the other is doing. These schemes fail as a consequence and just used to make cash.

     
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