Concern has been voiced by councillors as to whether there is any proof that selective licensing schemes actually work.
Peterborough Council is considering introducing a scheme that would cover rental properties in areas not caught by mandatory licensing.
The council’s officers say that the scheme – which could cost landlords £900 for a five-year licence – would allow the council to clamp down on rogue landlords and tackle anti-social behaviour.
But when the officers’ proposals went before the authority’s Strong and Supportive Communities Scrutiny Committee, members expressed strong doubts.
Cllr Matthew Lee, chairman of the committee, said: “Why this scheme? I don’t get from this why it would work. There are no examples of it working really well elsewhere.”
Another member, Cllr Lisa Forbes, said there was a lack of evidence in the report of the scheme working elsewhere in the UK and asked in what way it would enhance the council’s powers to tackle rogue landlords.
She said: “What I don’t want to do is add another layer of bureaucracy.”
Other councillors agreed, and the committee agreed to express its concerns as part of the consultation process.
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Comments
A Landlord who decides to opt out of any usual requirements from treating a tenant fairly to paying their income tax and properly maintaining their property will not volunteer to register - its that simple. As soon as they register, they will believe HMRC will be at the door.
Paul Taylor is absolutely right - it penalises the good Landlords and drives the bad element further underground.
As I have said before, the answer is in giving the tenants teeth not in expecting bad landlords to change their ways.
Well done Peterborough! In Oxford, despite the best intentions of the officers and members there is little evidence that the target group of Rogue Landlords have been impacted by the introduction of selective licensing. Certainly the city has generated over £1m income to administer the scheme and mains interlinked smoke detection has been fitted into thousands of properties in the PRS; compliant and law abiding landlords have had to spend an average (across the 170 HMOs we manage) of £1300 on works required to secure a license. The saddest outcome of the process is that landlords feel even further alienated from their elected representatives and their officers, and that the rouges have been driven even further underground making their tenants even more vulnerable.
Milton Keynes Council have just finished the consultation period for selective licensing - well I say consultation period, it actually was 10 weeks into the 12 weeks allowed before they even spoke to private landlords and letting agents!
The question was asked at the one and only meeting they held with landlords and agents - "How will this scheme alter or enhance the powers that the Council already possesses to deal with rogue landlords and anti social behavior?"
No reply.
Sadly I think most councils adopt these schemes for the wrong reasons; they think ti will be an answer to their financial worries but too late they find out that they can't use the funds raised for anything else but to administer the scheme. They can't use it to fund enforcement or to employ more staff; they can't use it to save jobs that otherwise would have been lost and the only route to income is to find reasons to fine landlords who join the scheme.
Its the political version of pyramid selling. Take a lot of money off the 'marks' for a product that doesn't really exist.
I whole heartedly agree with those councillors, and with Paul Taylor too.
Our local Councils have been hopeless at administering this free "windfall" tax; can't make their minds up on what and where to selectively license, employ incompetent staff in the extreme, and to date have only licensed some of our very best properties! And as soon as the tenant moves out, we make sure the next letting falls outside the scheme by restricting who can rent the property concerned.
Absolutely no good has come from selective licensing in my experience.
That’s it, I’m moving my family and business to Peterborough.......seems common sense may prevail here :)
Selective licensing is a tax on the good landlord.
There is NO proof that this ridiculous policy works.
The vast majority of landlords are very good and the rogue extreme minority are hardly being caught out with this crazy system.
The end result is that the tenant will have to pay higher rent and the tax man will get less funds in.
Stop this layer of bureaucracy that only succeeds in keeping a few council employees in employment.