Supporters of council selective licensing start rearguard action
Some of those involved in local councils have started a campaign to save selective licensing of private rental properties.
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health is first off the marks, claiming there are “threats” to the future of selective licensing.
Selective licensing schemes involve designated areas where privately rented properties have to be licensed with the local authority.
An amendment to the Renters Reform Bill tabled by Conservative backbenchers would remove the ability of councils to designate areas as subject to selective licensing.
This is because other provisions in the Bill effectively cover the same ground, and a BBC report says the government has promised to announce a review of selective licensing “with the explicit aim of reducing burdens on landlords”.
CIEH says that licensing provides the only means for local authorities proactively to inspect privately rented housing, removing the need for tenants to have complained.
CIEH executive director Louise Hosking says: “We are concerned by suggestions that the proposed Property Portal removes the need for selective licensing schemes. Licensing is a systematic and proactive approach to improving housing standards rather than just collection of information.
“We believe that the government, far from watering down selective licensing, should be removing unnecessary barriers to local authorities using licensing schemes to improve housing standards.”
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The parasites are panicking as they see the end of their money making scams! Good!
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health is a professional membership body concerned with environmental health and promoting standards in the training and education of environmental health professionals.
No mention of rented property, landlords etc so why are they sticking their noses in where they are neither wanted, nor needed?
We don’t need licensing. We don’t need the portal. Notwithstanding that we certainly don’t need both! But as stated these parasites want to keep the money flowing.
They will be panicking now. Stealing the LL’s equity via fines for faults ‘that are existent in owner occupier properties all over the country’. They were depending on selective licensing laws that allow them to attach higher fines than normal for their inability to stick to a budget. The results of SL were simply higher rents to the end user (compounded by S24) The agitator organisations Shelter GR Acorn etc encouraged councils to implement to help create the worst chaos in the PRS for years!
😱 oh no, the money 💴 train may be pulling into the station 😂😂
If there's a national register, the council's are perfectly able to use the register to inspect properties in their area. Binning SL doesn't take that option away from them - just removes the option of not being able to charge eye-watering fees. (I guess they could probably still give fines out too, but that should follow a national procedure rather than a local one)
I would think as and when the national scheme comes in it will become more and more difficult to justify additional local schemes, and sooner or later someone will make a legal challenge.
Two pigs want their snouts in the same trough.
No 💩
If anyone needs an example of the benefits of deregulation and reduced legislation take a look at the airline industry.
The airline industry in Europe was heavily regulated in the 1980's a typical flight to Paris from Manchester costing well over £300 (in old money) today that would be the equivalent of £1300 return to Paris, I know I used to do the trip on a regular basis to visit friends. Following deregulation the prices dropped dramatically, low cost airlines entered the market and today a typical flight from Manchester to Paris can be purchases for £150 return, less if you shop around a bit or don't need a bag, that's just over 10% of todays equivalent of the 1980's price. How busy would airlines be if the price was £1300 return to Paris??????
Given how well deregulation has worked and kept costs down in this industry and others, why is it that government feels that what the already overregulated housing rental markets needs is even more regulation, costs and taxation. All the regulations already in place are clearly not working they have contributed significantly to putting the UK into a major housing crisis with little to no light at the end of the tunnel.
De-regulate and let market forces help resolve the problem its really the only solution.
Wales must have done something right with their national Rent Smart Waes landlord licensing scheme. £30 for 5 years covering all your properties and no local council licensing in sight.
In my area (south coast) SL was introduced and subsequently refused by the Secretary of State on reapplication after the initial 5yrs expired. The lefty local council has been sulking ever since.
Fact is, any attempt to reintroduce it will prompt a further huge exodus by LL’s in an area already massively under supplied, and they know it!
Their thieving money stream gone they are a hairs breath away from bankruptcy. Slap it up them!
A national register for Tenants would be a lot more helpful.
It would, but will never happen.
Certainly would!! Actually it would make things a lot better for the genuine hard working tenants, by filtering out those who don't keep to their side of a tenancy agreement.
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