A consultation is underway into the extension of yet another private landlord licensing scheme for a further five years.
Since March 2018 Sefton council on Merseyside has had a Selective Licensing scheme for private landlords in the Bootle area. There is also an Additional Licensing regime for HMOs in parts of Seaforth, Waterloo, Brighton-Le-Sands and central Southport.
With the current schemes due to end next February Sefton council is now carrying out a 12-week consultation on its proposal to extend them until February 2028.
Councillor Trish Hardy, the council’s housing spokesperson, says: “Introducing the current licensing schemes has enabled Sefton council to work with private landlords in the areas covered to improve their standards of management.
“This, in turn, has resulted in improved living conditions for their tenants as well as improvements for the wider areas, such as reduced anti-social behaviour.
“By extending the scheme for a further five years, we want to build on this success and bring about further benefits for landlords, tenants and those communities.”
The council also claims that the current licensing system has allows “serious health and safety hazards [to be] removed from over 300 licensed properties. These includes issues relating to fire safety, electrical hazards, damp and mould and excess cold.
It adds that although nearly 60 per cent of the properties inspected did not initially meet the required housing standards, 98 per cent of these were subsequently improved.
Some 81 landlords have received Civil Penalty Fines for failing to licence licensing their properties.
Hardy continues: “Our view is that by renewing these schemes we can deliver benefits for tenants, landlords and the neighbourhoods they cover and the costs for landlords would start from just 2.67 per week.
“Of course, we want local people’s input before moving forward so would urge anybody likely to be affected, whether they rent a property, they’re a landlord or live in the proposed areas, to take part in the consultation.”
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So the council that has a licence to print money in the form of extortionate licensing fees, has declared the scheme a success? Well what a surprise.
And they found fault in 60% of the properties, and threatened those landlords with not being allowed to rent it out until their list of demands were met. This resulted in most landlords making the demanded changes. Wow, that’s amazing - thank God for council licensing schemes, how the rental sector survived for hundreds of years without them is beyond me.
It is nothing more than a money printer. My local London council have been dire. Between £600 to £1100 for a licence. Not one of my properties has ever been inspected in the last 5 years and a freedom of information request in 2019 revealed that just 2 Landlords had been prosecuted. Shameful.
Councils don't need licensing to engage with LLs, but licensing does allow them to fund their housing dept out of tenants & LLs pockets.
Unfortunately it’s only me funding my HM0 Licensing Schemes as I have had no Rent increases in years.
I have property in Scotland where they’ve been running these schemes for years now. They charge £68 for a 3 year licence. This would cover any properties you have in that district. If you have to apply to more than one local authority this drops to £34 per local authority.
So if it can be done for this price, English councils should hang their heads in miserable shame for their blatant greed that ultimately comes out of the renters pockets.
Steve
You're forgetting about the huge HMO licensing fees charged for letting any property to more than 2 unrelated adults in Scotland.
Glasgow City Council charge nearly £2000 for the initial 3 year licence and nearly £1000 for every subsequent 3 year period.
In addition they demand self closing fire doors, interlinked mains operated smoke and heat alarms, intumescent collars on extraction fans, annual PAT tests etc. I have spent up to £5k per property on these things and every 3 years they dream up more, like six easily accessible power points in each bedroom ( not behind any furniture), reducing the gaps under doors, every minor plaster crack fixed and the room redecorated etc.
Bonfire of red tape. ! No facts to back up substandard accomodation. See the main offence is not registering.
That's what the Mafia also says to the businesses it extorts money from - "it allows the Mafia to work with businesses!"
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