A new selective licensing scheme for 2,100 properties has gone live – with far more to follow in the same city.

The new scheme in Brighton and Hove covers properties that have one or two people living in them, or a family, as well as single-storey flats or bungalows with three or foie unrelated residents. Properties with more than one floor, with 3 or more unrelated occupiers, are already covered by the city-wide HMO licensing schemes.

Around 2,100 properties across Kemptown, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, Queen’s Park and Whitehawk and Marina wards are affected – areas where, the council claims,  there is a clear link between poor property conditions and private rented homes.  

There’s much more to come as subject to approval by Housing Secretary Angela Rayner the council is also proposing the introduction of a second stage of the Selective Licensing Scheme to cover no fewer than 13 wards on the grounds of poor property conditions. 

The city-wide Additional HMO Licensing scheme, which was introduced in July, has received more than 1,600 applications since the launch. It covers HMOs of two or more storeys with three or four occupiers.

A council spokesperson says: “Improving homes across the city is a key part of our plan for a better Brighton & Hove.  

“Too often we hear from residents in private rental accommodation about their poor experiences – introducing licensing in these four wards will allow us to raise standards. 

“We’ve already seen the benefits property licensing brings for better managed and safer homes. It can also benefit landlords by putting us in a better position to help them improve and maintain their properties. 

“We also know we have work to do ourselves to improve the safety and quality of council-rented homes – and we have increased investment to achieve that.”