Norwich city council says 20 per cent of its 14,400 privately rented homes are suffering from category 1 hazards' according to a survey - and the answer to the problem, it claims, is to introduce a landlord licensing system.
A survey conducted for the council by the Building Research Establishment showed that the 20 per cent had category 1 problems such as damp and mould, electrical faults or poor or non-existent fire precautions.
The BRE also suggests that out of 3,114 HMOs in Norwich, 25 per cent have these hazards.
The council has now unanimously passed a resolution to look into the introduction of an accreditation system.
Mike Stonard - the Labour cabinet member for environment, development and transport, who put forward the resolution - says accreditation would set standards and incentivise landlords to manage their properties more acceptably.
Twenty two per cent of households in the city rent from private landlords, which is one of the highest percentages in the east of England, and that's doubled over the past 10 years he says.
Part of the reason is the growth in the city's student population, but much of it is because people are being priced out of private home ownership. Another factor is in the fall in the number of sites with planning permission coming forward, which has resulted in a reduced supply of new homes says the councillor.
Norwich is just the latest council to consider or introduce licensing for landlords. Groups such as the NLA have attempted to force councils to reconsider - most notably in Milton Keynes when the local authority changed its mind and dropped such a proposal.
%20(002).png)
Comments