A Conservative council criticised for introducing a licensing system for HMO landlords says the scheme is justified because in recent years 92 per cent of private rental properties inspected have failed basic health and safety checks.
Worcester council has been criticised by some local landlords at the start of a 12 week consultation period over its proposal to introduce the £670 five-yearly licence fee for an estimated 2,000 private landlords operating HMOs.
However, the council claims this would fund a near 100 per cent increase in the number of rental properties inspected annually, from the current 160 to 300. In addition, it says that of those inspected in recent years, 92 per cent have failed basic safety checks, demonstrating the need to improve private rental standards.
Currently only landlords of HMOs of three storeys or more with five beds or more are licensed; the new proposals will apply to all homes with three or more people from two or more different families or households.
We want a level playing field claims a council spokesman but the National Landlords Association has heavily criticised it as a tax that will be passed on to tenants.
Don Robbie, the city's NLA representative, says the council should be focusing on the minority of bad landlords, not hitting the vast majority of good ones with this bill."
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