Oxford’s private rented sector faces its biggest shake up in over a decade with the start of a new licensing scheme this week.
The Labour council’s selective licensing scheme will now be in force for five years and means that all private rented homes in Oxford need a licence.
In the council’s words this is to ensure they are “safe, well maintained and well managed.”
The council’s housing spokeswoman Linda Smith says: “Oxford needs decent homes and the launch of selective licensing today will help make that a reality for private tenants who have – too often – had to put up with substandard and frankly dangerous conditions.”
She continues that selective licensing “will protect private tenants by driving up standards and cracking down on the rogue landlords who make their lives a misery.”
And she insists that responsible landlords and letting agents “who already do a good job” will “have nothing to fear, as a licence means tenants will have confidence in their ability to provide safe, well maintained and well managed homes.”
The new Oxford five year licence costs £480 with an early bird discount for those applying this month and next of £400. There is also a discounted fee of £280 for accredited landlords.
Half of all Oxford’s homes are now privately rented. An independent review of housing conditions in 2020 claims that a fifth of the 30,500 homes in Oxford’s private rented sector “could” have a serious housing hazard.
Between 2015 and 2020 the council says it received 3,360 complaints from private renters about 2,990 properties – around one in 10 of all privately rented homes.
During that time the council served 2,451 housing and public health notices and carried out 4,058 investigations into anti-social behaviour related to private rented housing.
Want to comment on this story? Our focus is on providing a platform for you to share your insights and views and we welcome contributions.
If any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.
Please help us by reporting comments you consider to be unduly offensive so we can review and take action if necessary. Thank you.
A Labour-controlled council says it’s confident a huge new licensing scheme...
All private rented homes in Oxford will need a licence from...
A Labour council introducing a vast new licensing regime claims its...
It’s now daggers-drawn between the National Residential Landlords Association and Oxford’s...
The vast majority of tenants are unaware of new laws introduced...
Despite the recent tax crackdown, buy-to-let continues to look an attractive...
The property market had enjoyed a boost thanks to the outcome...
There wasn’t much by way of good news in the Spring...
National Landlord Investment Show has announced that the former Leader of...
Twenty twenty-four is a pivotal year for landlords in the Private...
The management of BTL properties, whether it's a modest collection of...
We are thrilled to report that the first National Landlord Investment...
If interest rate rises weren’t enough to drive landlords out the...
Landlords play a crucial role in providing safe and comfortable housing...
.jpg)
Calling all landlords, Investors and property professionals: National Landlord Investment Show...
A recent survey by digital mortgage lender, Molo, revealed that nearly...
In the buy to let market, success goes beyond the transaction...
Mohammed Sharaz, a landlord from Bradford, recently seized an opportunity to...
We believe a well-functioning housing system is one that meets everyone’s...
It’s not just the weather that’s wet and dreary – the...
As the ‘big buy-to-let’ sell off gathers momentum, we take a...
The challenges facing the property market right now are well reported;...
If you are a landlord looking for the silver lining in...
This year is set to bring sweeping rental reforms that will...
Landlords are exiting the market in droves. According to an accountancy firm...
%20(002).png)
Newable Finance, the finance brokerage & advisory arm of Newable, launches...
As landlords continue to exit the market, there seems to be...
Homes in the rental sector are more likely to have old...
A council has prosecuted a landlord for letting out two HMOs...
The Labour-led government in Wales has issued a consultation proposing the...
Another council is looking for landlords with rental properties to match...
Another council is looking for landlords with rental properties to match...
.png)
Landlords and renters’ activists are at either end of the spectrum...
A prominent lettings sector expert is blaming the media for anti-landlord...
Who are you and what does it say on...
Who are you, and what does it say on...
Who are you? I am the Head of Broking for...
Join the conversation
Jump to latest comment and add your reply
I will be interested to see what Oxford looks like in 3 years time …. Have the slum landlords, who have not payed or signed up been closed down? 🤔🤔 I suspect not, but rents will have increased due to the fees.
How can Oxford do it for half the price of Nottingham? Is it that Nottingham City Council has a bigger budget deficit?
Something to do with Nottingham City being controlled by a useless bunch of lefties who couldn't organise a p up in a brewery...or an energy company for that matter.
The problem with this idea is that ultimately the cost is passed on to tenants who end up paying for little to no enforcement on genuinely bad landlords. Councils are so ineffectual when it comes to fining and closing down rogue landlords. Total waste of time.
There are tenants out there that would turn a brand new house into a slum in weeks, I've had them in the past
Criss, you are having a laugh the Council’s are making a packet out of all this with no input whatsoever. They made a complete bags of Social housing then moved on to us. There was a decision made one week end where by the Government took complete control of all private letting and we weren’t even told not alone asked it must be democracy not, no one ever mentions this I suppose they don’t know.
Please login to comment