Leeds council is seeking to renew and extend an existing selective licensing system to embrace much of the city. 

A public consultation on the proposed scheme was launched last week with the council saying it’s keen to gather a wide cross-section of views before it decides whether to press ahead with its plans.

And interested parties across the city – including landlords, tenants and other stakeholders – are being urged to take the opportunity to share their thoughts between now and the end of the consultation period on December 13.

A spokesperson for the council says: “Privately rented properties are a key source of housing in Leeds and it’s vitally important that they are safe, warm and well managed places to live. We want to explore options for protecting and improving the quality of every type of home in our city, with the newly-launched consultation on selective licensing forming part of that work.

“I would encourage as many people as possible to let us know their views over the course of the next few months.”

More than 4,500 inspections and other visits have been conducted at properties under their existing scheme, which comes to an end next year. Landlords have had to carry out improvement work on more than 1,500 homes where issues were identified during these checks.

The visits have also given council officers increased opportunities to identify situations where tenants are facing non-housing related problems, with more than 1,700 referrals being made to partner agencies for support with health, financial and other challenges.

A decision on whether to bring in the new Selective Licensing in East, South & West Leeds scheme is expected in the first half of 2025.