New selective licensing measures are to be introduced across three parts of Leicester in a new clampdown on landlords.
The combined areas cover approaching 20 per cent of Leicester’s geographical area and a similar proportion of the privately rented homes in the city, focusing on areas where there is evidence of ongoing issues, and strengthening the existing mandatory powers councils have to tackle problems.
The move to introduce selective licensing follows a three-month public consultation which ran from November 2021 to February 2022, in which more than 1,100 people took the opportunity to comment on a range of different options.
Leicester assistant city mayor for housing, Elly Cutkelvin, says: “For many a private rented tenancy is the only chance of a decent home including for an increasing number of families. The need for good quality, affordable housing has never been greater.
“Ultimately we find some of the worst conditions in the private rented sector and in areas where there is a high concentration of poorly managed properties, community concerns arise that lead to a decline, or feeling of decline, within an area.
“We are committed to working with and supporting landlords and tenants to improve the quality of private-sector rented housing in the city and protecting the most vulnerable people by ensuring their housing and their landlords meet a higher standard in terms of management and safety.
“Supported by a robust enforcement policy, actions to improve standards in the private rented sector encourage sustainable communities and promotes good health and wellbeing.”
The scheme is due to come into effect in October and will run initially for five years.
The licence will cost £1,090 with various discounts will be available including for early applications, charitable organisations, properties with good energy efficiency and landlords with multiple properties.
The council claims that money from the licensing scheme will be ring-fenced for operating and enforcing it in the three target areas.
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We all know what this is…. A scam, plain and simple…. Ring fenced they say 😂 like the RTB funds were 🤔
Scotland are able to run licensing schemes for less than 10% of this. £1090 is either theft, or woefully incompetent - maybe a bit of both.
Fail to see how this will help with their ‘goal’ to make rentals more affordable.
The "cheap" Scottish scheme is only for landlord registration.
HMO licensing costs almost £2000 for the first 3 years and nearly £1000 for every subsequent 3 year period and is compulsory for more than 2 unrelated adults sharing any domestic property.
I have properties in Leicester and will be passing any costs directly to the Tenants and explaining exactly why the rent is going up. My rents are currently under the local housing allowance rates, but why do anybody any favours when the council are out for all they can get.
The mealy mouthed nonsense that they all spout is so predictable. They just cut and paste the same words that other councils utter when they kick off these scams. When all the news is about sky rocketing rents and scarcity of available property, these numpties pour petrol on the fire. The only beneficiaries are council fat cats propping up their bureaucratic empires of pen pushers. Time to clear the swamp!
Hi Robert thanks for the explanation how are two unrelated people classified in Scotland ? Do they have to be married and sleeping in one bed .
How can Two people be an HMO ? With Rising rents and shortages it would make sense for two people to share.
Hi Stephen. Robert states MORE than 2 people as being an HMO ie 3 or more. This is the legal definition of an HMO across the UK anyway. Different councils apply different rules
Grumpy
Thanks for this.
I often quote my own student experience of sharing a big 4 bedroom flat with 7 other guys and occasionally some girls. I can't remember what the rent was but split 8 ways (we didn't charge the girls!) we had plenty of cash to risk alcohol poisoning and occasionally food poisoning, which were much greater threats than fires or gas explosions, despite there being open fires and no inspections of any kind.
I would certainly prefer the student experience I had than the much more expensive highly regulated conditions now deemed essential, where 8 guys sharing a big flat would raise alarm bells with the powers that be as well as the neighbours!
Do victims get a free Swastika armband with each licence , welcome to the fourth reich
When did that definition of a HMO change certainly that wasn’t the definition for 15 years. It was more than 2 households that’s completely different. So 2 couples equals 4 persons equal 2 households. 3 individuals equals 3 households therefore licence required for 3 individuals, probably a Selective.
I think Scotland uses a different definition - which causes problems with some English based mortgage suppliers!
However, in Scotland 2 couples can share a property without it needing an HMO licence and it's a very grey area how a landlord could establish of 4 adults were actually 4 single adults or 2 sets of couples, but the landlord would be the one blamed (and prosecuted) if he tried to use this as a loophole!
Robert you were lucky. I stayed in Digs there was 7 single beds in one room in Hornsey. I missed breakfast I was gone to work before it was read. similarly missed dinner it was finished before I got home.
Regarding health and safety certificate for gas hob every year, my mother rip had a gas cooker with oven for 60 years with her bottle of gas, never broke down or see a gas engineer, she was well capable of cleaning it herself, done endless cooking, baking and roasting. What’s the problem now are they not made properly anymore or is it regulation for the sake of regulation. Surely if they confiscated all the knives from the young people it would make a far bigger impact for Health & Safety.
Good point Michael regarding gas, now I must not touch it, I trained as a HGV fitter, air brakes 120 psi, I could and still can make an air tight connection at 120 psi pressure safely, in the early 80s on my own property I fully installed a LPG central heating system, including all gas connections safely, but the law now says I'm not capable, I of course don't touch gas now even though I know that I would be safe in doing so
I installed large water mains as well tested to 120psi which was required even though normal working pressure was only 60psi.
I worked on the large gas pipe line installation and gas pressure reducing stations + steam injection but I dare not touch anything domestics.
I wonder how many of our rule makers who know about pigging the pipe.
Really impressed by the brilliant practical skllls of some landlords like Andrew and Michael. They are doing so well to create wonderful housing, and others are just destroying the provision of homes for people by taking all the rights away of private landlords.
Thank You to Grumpy and Robert for the Explanation.
Seems a bit strange when a few years ago people were being encouraged to take a Lodger and get tax free income
Stephen, people are still being encouraged to take a lodger.
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