The Residential Landlords Association has entered into a deal which gives its members a 50 per cent reduction if they sign up to a council’s licensing regime.

The RLA – which in the past has opposed some forms of council licensing – says the  deal with Liverpool council will mean association members who sign up will get a reduction which could be as much as £200 per property.

This scheme will operate as an alternative to the existing, stand-alone licensing system operated by Liverpool council without any involvement of the RLA.

The association says landlords in the city who sign up to the co-regulatory option will still need to conform to the conditions of the council’s stand-alone mandatory licensing regime, which requires them to have a five year licence for each of their rented properties.

The association says ARLA and NALS have also given their backing to the scheme. 

Liverpool has an estimated 8,500 landlords with 39,500 properties in the city.