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Liverpool introduces city-wide PRS licensing scheme
Liverpool City Council has introduced a licensing scheme for private landlords.
The Labour-led council is now accepting applications from private landlords for licenses under the scheme, which will cover 50,000 properties. From 1 April 2015, all private landlords in the city must apply for a five-year license per property. The license will be implemented under existing selective licensing legislation.
Before being granted a licence, landlords will have to declare they are ‘fit and proper’ and will have to declare any convictions for dishonesty, violence, drug-related offences or breaches of tenancy law. Licensed landlords will be required to meet safety standards and keep homes in a good state of repair.
The licences will cost £400 for the first property and £350 for each additional property after that. Properties owned by landlords belonging to an a council-approved accreditation scheme will only need to pay £200.
Ann O’Byrne, cabinet member for housing at Lvierpool City Council, said: ‘We are concerned about a number of landlords who rent properties which fail to meet satisfactory standards of tenancy and property management.’
The National Landlords Association, which represents private landlords, responded by saying the scheme ‘will do little or nothing to hinder the actions of criminals’. Gavin Dick, local authority policy officer at NLA, said: ‘“However, the burden of the selective licensing scheme which Liverpool City Council will be implementing will be shouldered by reputable landlords who will feel compelled to comply with this heavy-handed regulation. ‘
Liverpool is the first major northern city to adopt a whole-area PRS licensing scheme although several Labour-led London boroughs have done so. Newham Council introduced a city-wide scheme in January 2013 while Barking & Dagenham did so in September. Waltham Forest is also planning to bring in a scheme from April.
Labour is proposing that private landlords be compelled to sign up to a national register, in order to make it easier for councils wanting to bring in schemes to identify landlords of properties. The party has pledged to remove barriers preventing councils from bringing in borough or city-wide schemes. Currently, councils can only apply for selective licensing in areas where they can demonstrate low demand or anti-social behaviour.
