Consultation time is short for landlords wanting to comment on a new licensing scheme proposed for Scunthorpe.

The public consultation closes at midnight on Monday April 22 and relates to a scheme covering 1,505 rental properties in three wards of the town. 

A statement from the council says: “While the majority of North Lincolnshire landlords run their properties responsibly, the council has to deal with issues that show standards are not always adhered to, which can have an effect on the whole neighbourhood, not just the property in question.

“Selective licensing aims to improve standards by tackling the poor management of some private landlords and the poor property conditions they offer. It would require landlords – and tenants – within certain areas to follow strict guidelines around management of properties. The licence conditions cover such things as overcrowding, heating and making the property safe. It ensures homes have essential safety measures installed such as alarms and emergency lighting.”

Councillor Richard Hannigan, deputy leader of North Lincolnshire Council, comments: “We believe selective licensing will enable us to target the areas where there is poor quality and badly-managed accommodation. It will help us address anti-social behaviour and raise standards by forcing rogue landlords and bad tenants to be responsible.

“We have not wanted to go down this route and where landlords are already operating responsibility there will be less impact but we do think this will enable us to protect residents and enhance the community as a whole. We also want to make sure that everyone who has a stake in this has had their say so we have launched this consultation to capture everyone’s views.”