A local authority has gone on record saying there’s “little evidence” that landlord licensing leads to increased rents.

Great Yarmouth council is introducing selective licensing across a range of wards and streets, amounting to some 5,000 homes covering 60% of the borough.

The licence imposed by this council is £694 for five years – but the authority suggests this is highly unlikely to be passed on by landlords.

In a statement it says: “Ahead of proposing the scheme, the council carried out a feasibility study which included gathering and analysing data about demographics and the condition of rental accommodation in the borough.

“Research revealed there is little evidence to show rents have risen due to licence fees being introduced in other parts of the country with similar schemes.”

Selective licensing schemes across the country have wildly varying costs but typically come in at between £500 and £1,000 per property – meaning a substantial outlay for landlords, especially those providing multiple homes for tenants.

Great Yarmouth council claims its scheme is designed to improve housing standards by making sure homes meet minimum standards and will promote better letting management practices, ensuring that properties are well-maintained and tenants’ rights respected.

A spokesperson says: ”Over the past few months we have been meeting with landlords and agents and have hosted a number of successful drop-in and online sessions to help explain what people need to do to make sure they comply with the new scheme.

”We have already received more than 350 applications and things are bedding in well, but we want to do all we can to make sure people have all the information they need to successfully obtain a licence.

”More ‘onboarding’ events are planned and we have teams on hand to help landlords and agents understand what they need do.”

The costs of running the scheme will be self financing and the £694 fee is actually a reduction on the £784 originally proposed.

The council spokesperson adds: ”We have existing powers around housing, but this will allow us to more effectively deal with a range of issues that affect people. We will be better able to tackle health hazards and overcrowding – which is a real problem for some people.

”We know the majority of landlords want to do the best they can for tenants but, where standards are not good enough, we can now hold people accountable.”