LATEST: Birmingham rubber stamps launch of UK’s biggest selective licensing scheme

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Birmingham Council has approved the UK’s biggest selective licensing scheme and is now waiting for Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove to give it the go-ahead.

Landlords across 25 wards including North Edgbaston (pictured), South Yardley and Sparkhill are set to need a licence as the city bids to tackle crime and deprivation. 

The scheme covers 40,000 properties, meaning that the £700 licence fee would generate an income of £28 million for the authority.

A previously suggested £670 fee was increased to meet extra staffing costs.

Birmingham hopes that selective licensing will improve 1,000 properties in the private rented sector each year as a result of the intervention and believes it will reduce the deprivation gap between the 25 proposed wards and the rest of the city.

Rights and responsbillities

A council report explains: “It may be that tenants in these properties are wary of complaining or may not know their rights or the responsibilities of their landlords.”

The council’s report adds that its scheme will contribute to alleviating fuel poverty because measures to improve standards will ensure that heating appliances are properly checked, maintained and working efficiently.

It says: “Improvements in the housing standards should also make properties more secure which should assist with minimising crime, particularly burglary. The availability of and living in improved housing conditions should contribute to a reduction in homelessness.”

Arbitration

As a result of its consultation, the council will consider if it can provide support or signposting for arbitration between landlord and tenant disputes and has also promised to investigate providing online annual updates on the delivery of outcomes for the scheme.

Its consultation showed that only a minority of landlords and letting agents believed that a selective licensing scheme would address crime and deprivation while the majority of other respondents agreed it would.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: Birmingham rubber stamps launch of UK’s biggest selective licensing scheme | LandlordZONE.

View Full Article: LATEST: Birmingham rubber stamps launch of UK’s biggest selective licensing scheme

If you enjoyed this article please consider sharing it!