Blackpool Council to go ahead with selective licensing scheme despite opposition from landlords

Tougher controls over rental properties in central Blackpool have been approved despite the majority of landlords being opposed to the idea.

Blackpool Council has approved a selective licensing scheme covering 11,000 properties which means landlords must pay hundreds of pounds in additional fees. The scheme will now go to the secretary of state for final approval.

A consultation found 61 per cent of tenants supported the move - which is aimed at driving up standards - but 77 per cent of landlords were against the introduction of the scheme.

It will cover cover the eight wards of Bloomfield, Brunswick, Claremont, Talbot, Tyldesley, Warbreck, Waterloo and Victoria where almost two-thirds of homes are privately rented. Recent enforcement action found at least one in three had category one hazards which includes cold and damp rooms.

A council report setting out the decision says: "Improving the quality of private sector properties is a key strategic housing objective for Blackpool Council. The private rented sector now accounts for 31 per cent of Blackpool’s total housing stock (up from 26 per cent five  years ago) – compared to the national average of 21 per cent, and therefore it is crucial that a high standard of accommodation and management is available for Blackpool residents in this sector."

Landlords reaction

However many landlords say they already provide good quality homes for their tenants and warned against being burdened with additional costs at a time when they are already facing rises in mortgage rates and other expenses.

Dawn Smith, speaking on behalf of a network of Blackpool landlords, said the council should use other powers to target bad landlords and warned many good landlords would sell up.

She said: “I simply cannot afford the selective licences, so my tenants will have to pay. How will they afford it in the current climate?  I already have one sale going through and others will follow for sure if this comes in."

Licence fees

A single licence covering five years will cost £722, but a number of discounts are in place which reduce the cost to £347 or £69 a year. The council says this means "good landlords can potentially save over 50 per cent on their licence fees."

The proposed discounts for landlords on the new scheme include: • Meeting The Blackpool Standard (£200 discount), • Have an EPC rating of A, B or C (an additional £100), • and a further discount for application within the first 3 months of the scheme (£125).