We believe it is in the best interest of tenants privately renting in Leeds that improvements are made to the standards of housing in the private rented sector. ACORN Leeds demands Leeds City Council:
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Implement selective licensing across Leeds to cover 100% of the private rented sector in the city.
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Use the selective licensing fee to fund the enforcement of selective licensing. There will be no cuts made to other public services to fund the scheme, if more funding is needed to effectively enforce the scheme then Leeds city council should increase the cost of the licensing fee.
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Expand selective licensing to cover Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMO’s). Currently, any property where the landlord already holds a HMO license is exempt from having to apply for a selective license.
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Fair and accessible resources and reporting on selective landlord licensing for tenants. These resources need to be accessible for all people in our community and in different languages.
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Energy Performance Certificate to be a condition of the selective landlord license to ensure the minimum standard is being regularly enforced.
What?
Selective licensing (also known as landlord licensing) gives local authorities the power to introduce requirements that improve the quality of housing in the private rented sector. Specifically, selective licensing requires private landlords to have a license for any property they want to privately let.
In 2019, Leeds City Council approved a limited selective licensing scheme that covers some areas of Beeston and Harehills, a total of 6,500 rented properties. This existing scheme requires landlords to pay £825 for a five-year landlord license.
To be eligible for a license under the existing scheme, landlords have to satisfy certain conditions in relation to: maintenance, household waste, gas and electrical safety, anti-social behavior, tenancy management and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. If landlords fail to apply for a license or break these conditions then they could face prosecution with a fine of up to £30,000.
Why?
As the local authority, Leeds City Council has the power to act decisively to implement selective licensing and improve the standard of housing in Leeds.
Private tenants are familiar with the problems of private rents; mould, damp, stolen deposits, astronomical upfront costs, persistent disrepair, unaffordable cost, and little insulation. Poor quality housing has a massive impact on the quality of life and wellbeing of tenants. Alongside poor conditions and unaffordability, private tenancies are fundamentally insecure
and short term. Landlords do not have to justify why they are serving a Section 21 eviction notice for example. There is a fundamental imbalance of power in the landlord - tenant relationship.
Selective licensing gives tenants some power back. It imposes higher standards on to-let private properties and creates barriers of entry for landlords. Selective licensing also creates a level of landlord accountability, ensuring that landlords maintain their properties to a good standard and deal with any issues that arise. If they do not do these things then local authorities can prosecute them. The result is less slum landlords and safer, better quality housing for renters.
Cities like Nottingham and Liverpool have selective licensing schemes covering 80% + of their private rented sector. Why can’t Leeds have this too? Leeds City Council has already introduced selective licensing in certain areas of Beeston and Harehills, but we demand that they now need to do this for all of Leeds and protect every renter in the city.