Landlords in Liverpool offered advertising to find tenants
Liverpool City Council has opened up housing registration website Property Pool Plus to private owners of vacant properties.
From Monday 3 December, landlords will have the chance to advertise on the website to help bring the homes back into use.
The service allows local people who are looking for affordable housing in the area to see what properties are available, and express an interest in selecting a suitable new home.
The system is used by Liverpool, Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, and Wirral Councils, and over twenty housing associations, to advertise and let their vacant properties.
By opening up Property Pool Plus to private landlords, the council hopes to help them in letting more people know that their properties are available for rent.
It also means residents who are registered on the system will have a wider choice of available accommodation, from both the social and private rented market.
The new incentive is the first to be launched under the council's '10 Point Pledge' for landlords.
The pledge aims to take a robust stance against poor landlords.
Cllr Ann O'Byrne, Liverpool City Council's cabinet member for housing, said: "We are fully committed to driving up the quality of Liverpool's private rented sector. To achieve that, it's vital we work closely with landlords, offer them support and create new opportunities which they can take advantage of.
"Adding private rented properties to Property Pool Plus is a great way of promoting good landlords in the city and helping them find tenants. It will also support our wider plans to tackle the problem of empty and poorly managed properties in Liverpool."
Properties are advertised on Property Pool Plus every week, with applicants notified what 'priority banding' they are in, based on the urgency of their need to move from their current property.
Applicants are invited to make a bid for their chosen property and the system puts them into priority order.
Property Plus Pool can be found online at propertypoolplus.org.uk.
What happens id a private landlord wants to let his property to a potential tenant in a low priority banding………? Who runs the website and will they let the private landlord know about all enquiries? And how many LCC Staff will be required to run it? I wonder………..
By Roy Backhouse