A local authority says the selective licensing it wants to introduce will “encourage landlords to work more collaboratively with the council.”
North East Lincolnshire council has kicked off a 10 week consultation including on-line questionnaires, face-to-face drop-in sessions, attending local community meetings and online events.
The creation of two ‘Areas of Action’ is also being explored “to motivate landlords in these areas to work more closely with the council to bring their properties up to standard” according to a statement.
A council spokesperson says: “The areas where the council is considering implementing this scheme have significant problems. East Marsh is in the top 1% of most deprived wards in the country; life expectancy is the lowest in the borough, and the crime rate is the highest in the borough. 24.6% of people live in fuel poverty.
“East Marsh also has some of the highest concentrations of private rented accommodation, high levels of anti-social behaviour, poor property conditions, and frequent reports of nuisance noise and fly-tipping. Heneage Ward is in the top 1% of most deprived areas in the country and, in Sidney Sussex, 39.5% of households within the proposed Area of Action are experiencing household deprivation.
“We want to tackle these issues, but before we can introduce a licensing scheme we must show why we think this kind of scheme is needed, and what kind of problems it is trying to tackle.”
The council adds that: “The scheme aims to create a partnership between landlords, tenants, and the council to improve housing standards and provide better rental opportunities. It also seeks to address any harmful practices.
“Successful schemes in other areas have indicated that when landlords and councils work together on schemes, housing conditions improve, crime and anti-social behaviour reduces and landlords have more sustainable and manageable tenancies, which in turn benefits the wider neighbourhood and community.
“With this consultation we are inviting residents, landlords and stakeholders to share their views and work together to shape a better future for our community.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today