It looks as if more Selective Licensing may be on the cards according to the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH).

The body represents council environmental health officers and it says it’s won the backing of a Commons select committee for proposals on remove barriers to implementing selective licensing schemes.

The backing comes in a report on the private rented sector from the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, which has been conducting an inquiry into housing conditions in England. 

CIEH proposed in its written evidence to the inquiry:

• enabling local authorities operating selective licensing schemes to use licence conditions to improve the physical state of the licensed properties;

• increasing the maximum duration of selective licensing schemes from five to ten years;

• removing the requirement for local authorities establishing selective licensing schemes to ensure that the private rented sector forms a high proportion of properties in the area.

The committee, which quotes from the CIEH written evidence in relation to each of these proposals, has backed all three of them in its recommendation to the Government on selective licensing.

Selective licensing schemes involve designated areas where privately rented properties have to be licensed with the local authority.

CIEH emphasises that neither the Decent Homes Standard nor Awaab’s Law will remove the need for local authorities to be able to use licence conditions to deal proactively with general disrepair in areas with poor housing conditions. 

Dr Henry Dawson, a member of the housing advisory panel of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, says: “We are delighted to have won the backing of the Commons select committee for our proposals on selective licensing.

“Licensing provides a means for local authorities to inspect privately rented housing using enforceable conditions – and to identify and resolve problems – without the need for tenants to have complained.

“We urge the government to accept in full the recommendation of the committee on this issue.”