Selective Licensing consultation - Knowsley Council

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Contacts For more information please contact: Neil Walklett Housing Enforcement Officer Strategic Housing neil.walklett@knowsley.gov.uk Alan Broadbent Group Manager Strategic Housing alan.broadbent @knowsley.gov.uk 0151 443 2287 0151 443 2391 2
Introduction Selective Licensing is a tool that has been available to local authorities since the introduction of the Housing Act 2004 to help tackle, along with other measures, certain problems associated with private rented properties. Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council has a good track record of using a range of interventions to tackle problems within the private rented sector, from providing support and advice to landlords on disrepair and management issues to use of legislative powers to improve property standards. There is still a lack of formal regulation in the sector. As such, landlords and managing /letting agents do not have to demonstrate that they are competent or able to manage tenants, tenancies or properties well – they are relatively free to practice as they like. The only real exceptions to this are those who own and manage certain larger Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) who have a mandatory duty to licence their properties. Provision contained in Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004 enables Local Authorities who have identified a link between significant and persistent problems caused by ASB and / or low demand for housing whether to implement a Selective Licensing Scheme that may, when combined with other measures, work to reduce or eliminate the problem. Selective licensing works by licensing landlords (or their managing agent) who own (or manage) properties in the designated area. Various reasonable conditions, can then be applied to the licence which readily enables the Local Authority to be able to formally challenge the management practices of the landlord or managing agent to take action to deal with their tenants who cause or are associated with ASB. Selective licensing also allows for conditions to be placed on a licence to address standards within the dwelling and would therefore fit into the Council’s continuing regeneration of the area. Whilst most landlords provide decent well-managed and maintained accommodation, and follow good management practices enabling them to run successful tenancies which do not cause any problems for the local community, on occasions anti-social behaviour and crime can have a detrimental impact upon a community. Such antisocial behaviour and crime may result from the inability of a landlord to effectively manage the behaviour of its tenants. Selective licensing will impose effective regulation upon the private rented sector thereby imposing management standards designed to: • reduce and tackle anti-social behaviour; • support and train private landlords; • provision of better housing and management standards in the longer term; • improved image and perception for an area; • a positive economic future for the local community and local businesses, including private landlords. 3
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Selective Licensing consultation - Knowsley Council

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