Jan

Government refuses Liverpool City-wide licensing scheme extension

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Landlord Licensing:

The new housing
secretary Robert Jenrick has turned down an application by Liverpool
City Council to extend Liverpool’s city-wide licensing scheme for
private sector landlords for another five years.

Currently, all
private landlords in Liverpool must obtain a licence for each of
their rented properties and since the introduction of the scheme in
2015, 70% of inspected properties in Liverpool have been found to be
in breach of their licence conditions, says the council. Included in
the reasons for the breaches were fire, electrical safety and excess
cold hazards, and according to the council all constituting serious
risks for tenants.

Around half of all
properties in some parts of the City of Liverpool are private rented
properties amounting to around 55,000 properties. Within these
numbers, the Council says it has carried out over 37,000 compliance
actions, it has issued over 2,500 legal and fixed penalty notices,
and taken to court almost 250 landlords.

Mayor of Liverpool
Joe Anderson has said he is writing to the government to express
“grave concerns” following housing secretary Robert Jenrick’s
decision to turn down the Council’s application to extend a
licensing scheme for another five years.

The Council says it
rejects the government’s assessment that its application “did not
demonstrate robust evidence to support the existence of low housing
demand across the whole city” and it is asking for more detail on
the basis of the Government’s decision.

Without this scheme,
the Council thinks it will not have the same powers to gain access to
properties to carry out inspections and enforcement, and the capacity
to carry out proactive enforcement will be severely diminished, it
says.

The Council has said
it may put up a legal challenge to the government’s decision.

Mayor Anderson says:

“This decision
flies in the face of the government’s tough talk on housing
standards, particularly around fire safety in rented properties.

“Over the last
five years our officers have come across people whose landlords are
happy to take their rent while allowing them to live in appalling
conditions with unsafe electrics, gas supply and no fire doors to
protect them in the event that a blaze breaks out.

“The landlord
licensing scheme has enabled us to create a team to be able to hit
the streets every day and carry out inspections of properties and
bring rogue landlords to book. It is not just about raising housing
standards – it is about protecting and saving lives.”

A Government MHCLG
spokesperson responded:

“Following careful
and detailed consideration, it was decided that Liverpool City
Council’s application for selective licensing did not demonstrate
robust evidence to support the existence of low housing demand across
the whole city.

“Liverpool City
Council was one of more than 130 local councils to recently receive a
share of £4.3m funding from government to tackle rogue landlords.

“We will continue
to support Liverpool City Council and other local authorities in
taking effective enforcement action as part of our commitment to
securing a better deal for tenants across the country.”

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