Landlords of private rented properties covered by two new licensing schemes in the Charnwood area of north Leicestershire are being encouraged by their borough council to apply for licences under its Additional and Selective Licensing schemes to drive up standards across privately-rented homes in the area.
Landlords and letting agents with properties in the borough are being urged to check the new licensing requirements and apply online. If they have properties which are affected by the schemes, then they must apply for a licence.
Additional Licensing is a borough-wide scheme for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) which do not already hold a mandatory licence and are occupied by three and four unrelated persons.
Selective Licensing in the Hastings and Lemyngton wards in Loughborough focuses on privately rented accommodation and aims to improve standards. Selective Licensing requires all landlords operating within the two wards to licence their property.
The new schemes will enable the Council to work with landlords to ensure their properties are suitable for tenants to live in and are being managed effectively.
The licence fee per application is £700 for five years which will be only used to cover the costs to run the licensing schemes.
Cllr Paul Mercer, the Council’s lead member for private housing said: “I would urge landlords to familiarise themselves with the licensing schemes to make sure they don’t fall foul of the new requirements.
“The changes mean more privately rented homes in the borough will need to be licensed and it is the duty of landlords to comply.
“A large number of landlords and letting agents operating in Charnwood are responsible, care about their tenants and manage their properties well.
“However, there are some properties which are not being managed appropriately and can impact the tenants and the local neighbourhood.
“We have invited landlords to join a virtual session to learn more about the schemes and find out more about the application process. There is still time for people to sign up for the session.”
The Council is committed to working with landlords to ensure they are aware of the schemes and understand what is expected of them. Ultimately, properties affected by the schemes must be licensed and if landlords do not apply for the required licence, the Council can take action including issuing fines of up to £30,000.
The Council can also act to enforce conditions of a licence associated with a property if they are breached.
A virtual landlords forum will take place via Microsoft Teams on Tuesday, February 7 at 6pm.
