Landlord Licensing Will Include Anti-Social Behaviour Plans

Selective landlord Licensing is not completely new in UK housing. It has been running in several areas of the country for many years. Now, there are proposals to include anti-social behaviour plans in the selective landlord Licensing rules.  

The intention in introducing Selective Landlord Licencing was to improve property management standards in areas where the private rented sector is often run down and housing is low quality, and/or areas where persistent anti-social behavior prevails. The authorities can designate an area for Selective Landlord Licencing if it is felt that the move will result in improved social and economic conditions when combined with other measures.

At present, the rules state that all privately-rented properties in a Selective Landlord Licencing area must be licensed, with some exceptions. The licence mentions all conditions that landlords must comply with. A locality can be designated as an Selective Landlord Licencing area for a maximum of five years at a time.

How Selective Landlord Licencing Works

According to the rules, all privately-rented properties in a designated area must be licensed. Properties already licensed as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) need not apply for an Selective Landlord Licence. The licence holder must be an authorised and qualified person. The authorities will check if the proposed license holder is a fit and proper person. Other mandatory conditions are:

• The management arrangements for the property must be satisfactory
• The licence holder must have the financial stability to pass the Selective Landlord Licence checks

The Selective Landlord Licence checks include whether the proposed licence holder had previously carried out 'works in default,' has been declared bankrupt, or has any county court judgments. The 'fit and proper person' rule also applies to the manager or the agent.

Compliance Inspections

After a property is licensed, the authorities will carry out compliance inspections. These are aimed at covering all the private rented properties in the Selective Landlord Licencing area. Licence holders can expect multi-agency inspections to check whether landlords and properties comply with the licence conditions and support tenants as per rules.

Tenancy Relations

Tenancy relations are about evaluating the needs of the tenant and ensuring early intervention and prevention. Licence holders must make efforts to provide direct and early help to tenants. Other aspects of tenancy relations are:

• Ensuring the availability of health and support services
• Offering screening services if needed
• Helping unemployed tenants find employment or training opportunities 
• Carrying out reference checks on those living on the property

Why Licensing Is Important

Many UK areas are experiencing challenges around social and economic decline. The levels of crime and anti-social behaviour are increasing, and the living conditions in some lower quality privately-rented dwellings are poor. Many properties are vacant. Such decline can adversely affect the long-term stability of these areas if the underlying issues are not addressed quickly. Selective Landlord Licensing can help support physical and social regeneration.

Benefits of Social Landlord Licensing 

Social Landlord Licensing can help halt an area's social decline by reducing anti-social behaviour and incidents of vandalism and crime. It supports landlords and provides private tenants with enhanced standards of housing and management. One of the key advantages of Selective Landlord Licencing is the long-term economic benefit. The theory being that forcing better standards of housing and housing maintenance displaces the crime and anti-social behaviour that dilapidated run down areas can bring.

The UK government will conduct a 10-week consultation to get people's views on the proposed extension to the selective landlord Licensing scheme. This consultation is specific to targeted areas.