Liverpool City Council is set to introduce a licensing scheme for the city’s entire stock of 50,000 private rented properties.
A decision is due to be taken this Friday.
If approved, as seems likely, city-wide blanket licensing will be implemented from next April.
Residents are said to have been largely in favour, with over 80% of agents and landlords against.
The cost of a licence has not yet been decided but is likely to be £500 per property over five years.
Discussions are being held with the Residential Landlords Association, the National Landlords Association and a group of local lettings agents about a “co-regulation” model whereby accredited landlords would pay a reduced fee.
Meanwhile, Southwark council in London has launched a consultation on licensing.
It wants to introduce additional licensing for smaller HMOs plus a selective licensing scheme for all rental homes in certain areas of the borough where it believes there are links to anti-social behaviour.
About one quarter of Southwark’s residents – 70,000 – live in the borough’s 28,500 private rental properties
The consultation ends on December 19 and is at:
Comments (2)
I don't see what benefit there is in forcing the many decent and responsible landlords to incur the added expense and time of a mandatory licence. Watch the rents rise…
I can't help think that the motivation is more labour politicians getting in through the back door after being rejected last spring. It all looks good on paper from a perspective to control rogue landlords and letting agents but is so one sided, it's nightmarish. As Scotland has shown the result do not justify and there is already regulations in place adequate to control. This is more to do with the "political state" getting a strangled hold on the private market to provide social housing for them.