Five selective licensing schemes are being recommended to Burnley council’s executive for approval this evening. Four are renewals, one is brand new.

The extension of selective licensing areas covering around 3,700 private rented properties in Trinity, Queensgate, Gannow Daneshouse and Stoneyholme and a new area in Padiham follows a 10-week consultation involving residents, landlords, ]agents and other interested parties.

The council claims to use selective licensing “as part of a wider regeneration strategy” and says it aims to support landlords and tenants and improve housing management in the private rented sector to help tackle issues such as falling house prices, anti-social behaviour, and poor property condition.

The authority says its preferred enforcement policy is to use training days, landlord evenings and voluntary accreditation to improve standards, but it also uses court cases and civil penalties “sending a clear message that council will not tolerate those poor landlords that continually flaunt the legislation.”

Councillor Jack Launer – Executive Member for Housing, Health & Culture – says: “People renting privately have a right to expect a decent standard of accommodation. Many of the private rented properties in the borough are well-managed, but we still find properties with no gas or electrical certificates, homes with no heating, full of damp and mould, or homes with no smoke detectors, selective licensing ensures that these issues are addressed”.