A Selective Licensing scheme proposal is out for consultation in the Scunthorpe area - with a harsh message from a council chief.
North Lincolnshire council leader Rob Waltham says: “It is not fair that homeowners who have lived in communities for generations that keep their homes and gardens clean and tidy must suffer because of a small number of landlords and tenants.
“This scheme will enable us to put in place extra enforcement officers who will go around and hold landlords – and their tenants – who clearly do not care, to account.”
The council claims the scheme is designed to improve housing conditions, reduce anti-social behaviour and ultimately, improve the health and wellbeing of the communities.
The council would also be further empowered to target the criminal landlords.
A council spokesperson says: “We are focussed on enabling resilient communities and keeping residents safe and well.
“The vast majority of local landlords are providing safe, decent homes but we know there are small number of people who do not maintain the standards expected.
“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.”
The areas proposed for the scheme cover part of the Crosby & Park, Town and Frodingham wards, a total of 1,505 private sector rented properties.
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More red tape , just what we need in a crisis
Wow 😯 there is cash 💰 to be made with all this, kerching.
Brave of him to include tenants in the 'do not care' statement. Usually its LLs who get the blame for tenants spoiling the community!
Imagine having a tenant who doesn't care about your property and is happy to turn it into a pig stye? I can't believe that ever happens? My pet unicorn and I had such a laugh at that unlikely scenario
Moving bad tenants around does not solve the problem. Nobody wants them in their property or next door, so where are they going to live?
Tenants.... We have had enough of them since 2008. And the current lot or 5 painful years with their out of control 6 year old son and their babysitting / childminding / after school clubs - What a nightmare. NEVER put families in rented houses. Disaster in very high percentage cases.
We are now moving out as the area becomes decimated with tenants from the jungle that bring the jungle with them. Just to put their kids in a good school.
As ever, good people move away from bad people. Noisy people disturb quiet people.
Lets hope a landlord buys my property and puts in some equally (or worse) tenants to give them a dose of their own medicine. Sound bitter? Yes, after 32 years of making our house beautiful, we cannot now enjoy it. SCUM I think is the work. Or low-class renters.
What is it they can’t do now that SL would add?
It’s just a tax on good landlords. As usual.
I think by far the majority of landlords view this as an extra, unnecessary, level of administration to bring cash into the local councils
Anti social behaviour is first and foremost the 'responsibility of the offender' not second or third parties.
Councils. police and the courts have the powers to hold OFFENDERS to account. They just have to DO THIER JOBS.
Why don't they?
Worried LL, correct moving them around just makes them another person’s problem, worse still introducing more Policy’s to create more bad Tenants, when they know you are powerless to Act.
Landlords have no powers other than eviction ( which is being systematically undermined). As has been said here, moving tenants around from one place to another simply spreads the ASB infection.
When will these idiots wake up.
This is the responsibility of Councils, the police and the courts to deal with. End of.
This is another example of how people behave when they have been infantalised by society. Tenants that behave badly know what they are doing is wrong, but have grown up with a nanny state. They feel entitled to everything that society has to offer, but have never really been told about the part that their personal responsibility plays in this. It is always somebody else's job to look after them. Whether it's taking out rubbish and recycling, keeping their home clean, ensuring that their children behave and attend school, providing a home and income for their family, respecting their neighbours and obeying the law. This is the first time I've seen an official statement from a local authority suggesting that the behaviour of tenants is at fault, and even this is only included in yet another statement blaming landlords. How many of us have been forced to accept a selective licence agreement making us, as landlords, responsible for our tenants misbehaviour? I have properties in Nottingham and many times, Nottingham City Council have colluded in immoral, fraudulent and illegal behaviour by my tenants. How does a public body using public money become so horribly biased. They were dishonest from the start with their licence scheme, and can only find fault with landlords. We seem to have a huge tranche of people who cannot accept responsibility for their own behaviour. Our housing problems will never be resolved without honesty about the causes. There are bad landlords who need to be dealt with, but there are also many bad tenants. Both groups need to be held to account. Sorry for the rant.
Mathew, I absolutely concur with everything you say. I think your rant is brilliant.
Mathew you are spot on here. We need better parenting and schooling. Youth needs help to get aligned on the correct principles in society. The councils are just trying to find new income streams to fill their black holes. Councils should focus on their core mission and serve the citizens and run a good public service.
Bring back corporal punishment in schools!
In fact, bring it back everywhere to deal with hooligans and thieves.
If that doesn't work, bring back hanging.
PS. I'm not joking!
Robert, it could even be privatised at £5 a stroke!
I'd be happy to pay out £60 to give two miscreants what we called 6 of the best.
I disagree with licensing totally and believe they will cause Landlords to leave the market but rais millions for LA's. However, if such schemes are to be introduced and "tenants don't care" then each tenant should be issued with a specific number and put on to a register the same as Landlords.
This will deter antisocial behaviour encourage tenants to look after properties better and allow Landlords to check on ANY potential problem or Criminal tenant before a decision to let. In other words: IT SHOULD BE A TWO WAY STREET. WHAT'S GOOD FOR LANDLORDS IS EQUALLY GOOD FOR TENANTS.
I Can never understand how when Tenants throw Rubbish in the Garden . I have to clean and move the Rubbish . Usually Under the Rats and Mice Act .
Why does the Council Not contact Tenants directly ? Or is it simply because the Tenants may have no money hence no fines . Or is it because The Councils cannot control these tenants.
I've been removing rubbish dumped in a garden by a tenant, his rent has now been increased to cover my time and expenses in doing so
If it's a selective licencing scheme why not just select the houses with bad tenants and landlords and leave the good folk alone? Or is it just a nice little earner?
Home Secretary Mr Michael Gove is now panicking. He is
now in a mad rush to Scrap Section 21 sooner before too
many landlords exit Leaving him high & dry, so the idea is to block you from getting out and hold you to Ransom,
nice Democratic process,
If the Government allows some types of fixed term tenancies in the Renters Reform legislation then the problem will be solved. Landlords will be prepared to continue letting. When the tenancy has a fixed term there is no question of retaliatory eviction or rent hikes either.
He just thinks it a vote winner, or more likely that the failure to implement this is a vote loser. He doesn't give a stuff about tenants or landlords other than as voters.
Why don’t they look at council tenants or is flat not pc
That
Another Council boss says it again
North Lincolnshire council leader Rob Waltham says:
The vast majority of local landlords are providing safe, decent homes but we know there are small number of people who do not maintain the standards expected.
“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.
So that means the vast majority of tenants who were being looked after with cheaper rents are now having rent increases to pay for the few bad Landlords. Why should innocent tenants and Landlords suffer?
If they already know the small number why not enforce existing laws against these landlords and tenants?
Why inflict additional rules and costs on the majority of decent landlords and tenants?
Could it be a revenue raising motive? Surely not!
Bad tenants just eventually up and go when the game's finally over. It's always the landlord who is left holding the baby and held to account. Little or no sympathy from f×××ing council desk jockeys, of course.
Landlord's cannot be held responsible for the bad behaviour of their adult tenants and the hideous state that some properties are returned. But the buck stops entirely with us. There should be a law which makes it compulsory for tenants to return property in the condition in which the tenancy started. The landlord must sign off the returned condition report to say that he is happy with the condition and the tenant requires this report to prove
The problem with your idea is if the property is in worse condition when the tenant is leaving you need to prove it is due to tenant damage/neglect and not wear and tear or lack of maintenance.
.. to prospective landlords and housing associations etc that he is worthy of consideration. If the government don't action this, why don't landlords just do it?
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