A Labour controlled council says it wants to introduce widespread selective licensing – and claims a previous scheme helped identify drug-growing dens.
Rotherham council claims a previous selective regime, running until earlier this year, delivered “significant results” with over 2,300 properties inspected, requiring landlords to address more than 8,000 hazards. Some 13% of properties were found to have the most serious Category 1 hazards.
Additionally, 155 Emergency Prohibition Notices were issued in circumstances where properties were unsafe for habitation.
The council also claims that over 2,000 cases of anti-social behaviour and nuisance were addressed, and £40m worth of illegal cannabis grows were seized. Some 15 successful prosecutions were undertaken, while a further 23 cases are ongoing.
The authority claims all of this was achieved thanks to a selective licensing scheme.
The next selective licensing scheme – if approved later this month – will cover parts of Rotherham identified as having poor property conditions or high levels of deprivation.
The council says it will offer training opportunities to assist landlords and is setting out area plans to help bring further improvements to affected areas.
A council spokesperson says: “The simple truth is that in some parts of the borough, too many private tenants are living in unsafe and poorly maintained properties. Dangerous electrical connections, damaged walls and ceilings, even on one occasion a property with everything including the toilet in just one room – no one should have to live like that.
“Poor housing has knock on effects for people’s health and the state of the wider community. There are honourable exceptions, but too often landlords in these areas have been too slow to step up and meet their responsibilities.
“We’ve listened carefully to feedback from landlords and residents, particularly around concerns about cost – both to landlords and the potential impact on tenants.
“So our plans include significant discounts for proven responsible landlords. The worst case scenario for tenants living in these properties, even if the full cost is passed on to them, is an increase in rents of less than £1 per week. But the flip side of this is that the costs of the scheme will fall disproportionately on those who try to opt out of their legal responsibilities.
“We also heard from residents who felt we had not got the boundaries quite right, so we’ve looked closely and made changes as a result. In the end though we won’t resile from our obligations to tenants and communities who are left at the sharp end of poor housing. Ultimately this is about working together to create safer, healthier communities.”
