A council policy introducing licences for private landlords to try to drive up housing standards led to many passing the scheme’s administration costs on to tenants by increasing rents, an external auditor’s report says. Nottingham City Council has been running the scheme, called Selective Licensing, since August 2018 in a bid to tackle rogue landlords and make sure rented properties are safer and of a better standard for private housing tenants.
It gives the Labour-run authority the power to make sure rented homes meet certain conditions, by requiring landlords to register and be issued with a licence. Under the current scheme 32,000 properties must have a licence, and those who refuse to apply could be issued with a fine or prosecution.
The scheme is due to legally expire in July this year, and the council has drawn up a new one in its place. A total of 666 improvements were made to 446 properties under the first scheme, which the council described as a success.
