Council scraps licensing after hailing selective scheme’s ‘unqualified success’

Hyndburn Council in Lancashire is to scrap selective licensing after hailing its 10-year scheme an unqualified success.

Councillors agreed to end the scheme next March, after it was brought into parts of Church and Accrington in December 2012 with the aim of improving the quality of rented housing in the Lancashire borough.

It estimates that there are about 2,150 private rented properties within the designated area, of which 150 are likely to be exempt, and that by March it will have issued 2,100 licences – an almost 100% success rate.

A council report explains that conditions in the designated areas are showing signs of recovery and that the authority still has a range of legal powers and enforcement measures available for tackling poor housing conditions and rogue landlords.

Conservative Councillor Kathleen Pratt (pictured, below), who is responsible for housing, health and wellbeing, says that by the end of March, it had dealt with 2,047 complaints regarding the licence or condition of private rented properties in the designated area.

This included antisocial behaviour and dirty back yards; 602 unlicensed properties were identified, 146 licences were revoked, and eight civil penalties handed out. The scheme is expected to break even.

Temporary issue

“Wherever possible, the council has taken a supportive role with landlords in helping them obtain licenses and therefore meet the required conditions rather than taking more formal action,” she explains.

“Selective landlord licensing has always been intended to be a temporary measure and there is no precedent for an area benefitting from a designation beyond ten years.”

Refreshingly, landlords seem to have come out of the exercise in a good light. “We will also start to work on the legacy of the scheme, especially building on the relationship we have with the private rented sector across the borough, recognising the vital role that the private rented sector plays in meeting local housing needs,” adds Pratt.

Read more about selectively licensing.

Pic credit: Hyndburn council