Licensing – councils sting landlords for up to £1,250 a time

Licensing – councils sting landlords for up to £1,250 a time


Todays other news
The new analysis comes from Knight Frank...
The activist group wants far more tenant power than given...
Many lenders decline properties with this foam - making them...
The briefing, held this week, aimed to bring letting agents...

It’s been revealed that the cost of local council licences imposed on landlords varies hugely – and in at least one case goes as high as £1,250 a time.

Since Christmas the government has allowed councils to impose selective licensing schemes of any sie without the need for consent from Housing Secretary Angela Rayner. 

Now property compliance service Yuno shows that the introduction of selective licence schemes has little impact on improving standards, although councils like them as it allows the issuing of cash-earning civil penalties.

Yuno claims that the law change implemented at Christmas means licensing schemes can be implemented without the landlord’s knowledge unless they are proactively keeping up with lettings legalities or their rental property is being managed by a qualified agent. 

Chief executive Paul Conway says: “This will increase the chances of all landlords & agents being caught out by widening licensing in an area, especially if it’s not well publicised. It could also increase their ongoing costs due to the licence fee charged.” 

Yuno says fees for new applications in Leeds are as high as £1,225 whereas they can be as low as £350 in Ashfield. Not licensing a property correctly could currently lead to fines of up to £30,000 per offence. 

According to data from Yuno, there are 37 licensing schemes across England that are currently under consultation or could be coming soon to a council by which your properties will be affected by, some key schemes include:- 

Blackpool – Selective Licence Scheme; 

Carmarthenshire – Additional Licence Scheme; 

Gateshead – Selective Licence Scheme; 

Gelding – Selective Licence Scheme; 

Lancaster- Selective Licence Scheme;

Manchester – Selective Licence Scheme; 

Mansfield – Selective Licence Scheme;

Newcastle upon Tyne- Additional Licence Scheme;

North Lincolnshire- Selective Licence Scheme; 

North Yorkshire – Selective Licence Scheme; 

Reading – Selective Licence Scheme; 

Rochdale – Additional Licence Scheme; 

Salford – Selective Licence Scheme;

Sandwell – Additional Licence Scheme;

Stockton-on-Tees – Selective Licence Scheme; 

Walsall – Additional Licence Scheme.

 

London will see several new licence schemes, including:-
City of Westminster – Selective Licence Scheme;

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham – Additional Licence Scheme; 

London Borough of Enfield – Additional Licence Scheme;

London Borough of Wandsworth – Selective Licence Scheme;

London Borough of Waltham Forest – Additional Licence Scheme.

Share this article ...

Join the conversation: Login and have your say

Want to comment on this story? Our focus is on providing a platform for you to share your insights and views and we welcome contributions. All comments are screened using specialist software and may be reviewed by our editorial team before publication. Landlord Today reserves the right to edit, withhold or delete comments that violate our guidelines, including those that harass, degrade, or intimidate others. Users who post such content may be banned from commenting.
By commenting, you agree to our Commenting Terms of Use.
13 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Recommended for you
Related Articles
The council claims it will work with landlords and offer...
Councils must be accountable for their policing of private rental...
The unlicensed property was an HMO...
An existing HMO licensing regime is being revised...
The tenant was in hospital when he was evicted illegally...
The controversial proposal is backed by the Welsh Government...
Growing arrears, falling yields and new laws make 2025 a...
Recommended for you
Latest Features
A survey which spoke with 3,500 landlords, tenants and agents...
Does the Scottish situation resonate with landlords in the rest...
There's been an increase in reports of mould in homes...
Sponsored Content

Send to a friend

In order to send this article to a friend you must first login. Click on the button below to login or sign up.

No one likes pop-ups ...
But while you're here