Selective licensing is to be introduced in parts of Margate Central and Cliftonville West in a bid to help tackle anti-social behaviour and low housing demand in the area and improve management of privately rented housing there.
The plans were agreed last night (Wednesday 12 January) by Cabinet Members, who were presented with the results of the consultation that was carried out between September and November 2010. In total, 579 surveys were completed, with an additional 130 responses also sent in. The survey asked three key things, firstly whether anti-social behaviour in the area was an issue, which 80% of people agreed it was. 84% agreed that this was something the council should be tackling. When asked whether a selective licensing scheme would help tackle this issue, views were divided. 49% felt it would, while 44% disagreed.
Once the scheme is introduced, landlords will have to apply for a licence for every privately rented flat, house or room in order to continue to operate in the area. Landlords would then have to comply with various conditions on the licence, relating to the management of the property, fire safety and anti-social behaviour.
One of the changes made to the scheme, following the consultation, is the fees that will be payable for the licences. Following feedback from residents and landlords, there is now a discount for landlords, if they own more than one property in the same building. Discounts have also been introduced for early valid applications and for landlords who are accredited through the Kent Landlord Accreditation Scheme.
Another change is the introduction of a tenant referral scheme, which aims to help landlords find appropriate tenants and also help tenants find suitable housing. Following comments that there wasn’t enough evidence in the original proposals, this section has also been strengthened in the final version of the document.
Cllr. Chris Wells, Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: “We’ve listened carefully to people’s views on this, which were very mixed. It’s been an emotive subject and has certainly generated a great deal of discussion. As a result of the comments that have come back to the council, we’ve made a number of changes to the original proposals. In particular, the fee structure has changed, following feedback from landlords, so getting people’s views on this has been a really valuable process.”
It is expected that landlords will be able to make applications to the council for the new scheme from February 2011. Discounted fees would be available for early valid applications until the end of June 2011, when full enforcement of the scheme is expected to begin.
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