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Selective licensing improves housing conditions, report finds

Selective licensing schemes are an effective way for local authorities to improve housing conditions, a report from the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has found.

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Picture: Getty
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CIH: selective licensing schemes are an effective way for local authorities to improve housing conditions #ukhousing

Councils generally bring in such schemes in small areas to deal with issues from low housing demand to anti-social behaviour, poor property conditions, high levels of migration, high levels of deprivation and high levels of crime, the report, which was co-authored by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, said.

The CIH surveyed 20 local authorities with 27 of these schemes, asking how effective they had been. Three of these schemes were borough-wide.

According to respondents, schemes are “successful at improving housing conditions”.


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The report noted: “We found numerous examples of inspections leading to very high numbers of serious hazards and defects being identified and addressed in licensed areas.”

According to the report, several councils said selective licensing schemes made landlords more willing to do required works on their properties.

They were unclear on “the exact mechanisms” by which this happened, but the report said that the observation was backed up by “the large number of works being done to remedy hazards and defects, without formal action being taken by the local authority”.

Because of this, the CIH said it believed that data on prosecutions was not enough on its own to determine whether licensing schemes have been successful.

The report also found that licensing schemes helped to tackle anti-social behaviour, by providing resources to support and educate landlords to tackle the anti-social behaviour of their tenants.

It also noted that even though it wasn’t a primary aim of these schemes, they did lead to “a better understanding of the local housing market and provided opportunities to better engage with landlords”.

Finally, it found that some schemes encouraged more joint working between councils and police to identify unlicensed landlords.

Update: at 9.29 on 25.1.19 This story was updated to clarify that the report was co-authored by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

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