Telford landlords facing £600 licences to rent out properties

The council says it is introducing a private licensing scheme in a bid to improve the standard or privately rented homes, bringing with it a cut in the amount of fly-tipping, crime and anti-social behaviour in certain areas.

While the council says it acknowledges that many landlords provide good, well-managed and well-maintained accommodation, there are examples in the borough where properties are poorly managed.

Under the scheme, landlords and letting agents in Hadley and Leegomery, Malinslee and Hollinswood, Brookside and Sutton Hill and Woodside would be required to apply for a five year licence.

All of the areas proposed have rates of fly tipping above the borough average – in some instances five times as high.

They also have some of the highest rates of anti social behavior reported to the council, which impact on quality of life for residents.

Selective licensing aims to raise the standards of privately rented properties and improve conditions for tenants.

During the five years of the scheme, the council will ensure landlords meet a number of conditions to provide safe and well managed homes for their tenants.

Similar schemes have been successfully introduced in places like Wolverhampton, Newcastle under Lyme, Peterborough, Salford, Scarborough, Harlow and Coventry.

The licence would cost a landlord £122 (£172 a year for late applications) a year for the whole five years. Landlords will be required to comply with a set of license conditions.

These include requiring them to maintain the property to a set standard and having the appropriate safety certificates to prove it, making sure all tenants provide references and taking responsibility to address any fly-tipping, waste, pests and other aspects of anti-social behaviour at the property.

Landlords will also be asked to prove they are a fit and proper person to hold such a license.

A landlord found guilty of not complying with licence conditions can be fined up to £5,000 per offence. Failure to license the property in the first place could lead to a £20,000 fine.

In addition to agreeing to consult on licensing in these four areas, the council's cabinet is recommended to approve the re-launch of its voluntary Landlord Accreditation Scheme.

This scheme offers landlords a number of benefits including; training in areas such as the law, free tenancy advice and help in promoting their accreditation.

Councillor Hilda Rhodes - cabinet member for public protection, safety & enforcement said: "By ensuring landlords invest in their communities as well as the properties they own we hope that, together, we can reduce anti-social behavior and improve the quality of life for everyone in the community.

"For the tenants, we want to provide reassurance that they are renting homes that are safe from a landlord they can trust. This scheme would weed out bad landlords while supporting the good ones."

Before any such scheme can begin, the Council would need to consult for a minimum of ten weeks with the identified areas' residents, private landlords, town and parish councils, businesses and other stakeholders.

The council's cabinet is being recommended to approve the consultation.

Depending on its outcome, the scheme could begin as early as November 2017.