Liverpool landlord licensing scheme approved

Covering approximately 80% of rented properties in the city, the initiative will boost the council’s ability to regulate and enforce safety standards.

Cllr Abdul Qadir, who is also cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said the project was one of the largest of its kind in the country.

“The council will make no profit from the scheme,” Qadir said. “Every single pound we get from landlords will be ring-fenced, paying for our team to be out on the streets every day inspecting homes, chasing disrepair.

“We are determined to take the strongest action those landlords who refuse to manage and keep their properties safe,” he continued.

Inspectors will be examining properties for a variety of issues including fire and electrical safety hazards as well as excess cold and dampness.

The scheme impacts 16 city wards: Central, Riverside, Greenbank, Kensington, Picton, Tuebrook & Stoneycroft, County, Anfield, St Michael’s, Princes Park, Kirkdale, Old Swan, Warbreck, Wavertree, Fazakerley and Everton.

Within those wards, the council said that at least one in five homes is owned by a private landlord.

Council Wards Included In Liverpool's New Landlord Licensing Scheme (1)

The wards included in the landlord licensing scheme. Credit: Liverpool City Council

Liverpool had a citywide version of the scheme in place between 2015 and 2020, however the government had rejected plans to extend it further over concerns about its effectiveness and low housing demand. The approved version  of the scheme will begin in April 2022 and run for five years.

“This is brilliant news for tenants living in poor housing conditions,” said Cllr Sarah Doyle, cabinet member for strategic development and housing.

“Too many vulnerable people in our city are in poor housing conditions, paying rent to a landlord who doesn’t carry out essential maintenance to keep them warm and safe,” she continued. “The Landlord Licensing scheme will give us regulation of private rented houses, so that we can take action when concerns are raised.

Liverpool City Council said that it would release more details on the fee for landlords in the near future.

Your Comments

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Let’s hope they treat the decent landlords with respect this time.
Having been a landlord and attended several meetings at council buildings with the ususal opening introduction of how “awful all landlords are” and we were the ones with others who volunteered to sign up for the scheme. LCC’s approach was disrespectful and unwarranted.
It was personally galling for me as I was involved in meeting many overseas investors and companies in my business, where I actively encouraged them to invest in Liverpool.
No wonder LCC has a very low inward investment ratio compared to other cities with an attiude such as that.They really need to reflect on their approach to businesses and investors.

By Liverpolitis

This just penalises the good landlords that come forward and pay the fee, or use a reputable agent to market their properties. It will put professional landlords off investing in Liverpool. The real cowboys and scumbags won’t register and will keep on getting away with poor quality properties because they aren’t the low hanging fruit. Their tenants won’t complain because they are scared of being evicted.

By SC

@SC Landlord license schemes are compulsory so it will affect all and benefit all. If the private rented sector can’t get their house in order (pun intended) by themselves then there wouldn’t be the need for a scheme like this.

By Good apple

Nothing but a tax-raising ruse and an opportunity for politicking. As a former landlord in Liverpool I share @Liverpolitis’s view entirely. Liverpool Council, as last week’s report by the Commissioners noted, are really very, very poor with no commercial sense whatsoever and no notion that, as a service provider, they must be customer-oriented. To have fingers wagged at you by incompetent civil servants who wouldn’t survive five minutes in the private sector is utterly galling. Any wonder this place is going backwards? The council has no idea about the mood music among investors, who tend to stay quiet and go where they are welcomed. The fact that there is no counter-veiling voice within the council pointing this out tells you how utterly, utterly out of touch and unfit for purpose it is as an organisation.

By Sceptical

Landlords must be held to account where their places are not fit for purposes. However, this seems like just a money grab. This tax will eventually be passed on to the tenants. A tenant should report a bad landlord, licensed or not and the council should be any to investigate. If the landlord is culpable, they should be fined. But to put a blanket cost on all landlord is money grabing.

By Jas

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