Source: City of Preston
In a bid to tackle unscrupulous landlords in Preston and improve the quality of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) homes in the city, an external consultant will be employed to work on behalf of the council to carry out a consultation that will consider the introduction of Selective Licensing in three pilot wards in Preston.
The three wards where this consultation will take place are St Matthews, City Centre and Plungington.
Selective Licensing in the PRS is a scheme where local authorities designate areas that will benefit from tighter regulation, requiring landlords in those areas to obtain a licence for their privately rented properties.
Under Selective Licensing, Preston Council can ensure landlords or their property managers are subject to criminal record checks and their rental properties are checked to meet certain standards and conditions like having up-to-date fire and gas safety checks, damp proofing, tenant welfare, good management practices etc; this helps to address issues such as poor property conditions, anti-social behaviour and low demand.
If landlords fail to comply with the licensing conditions, local authorities can take enforcement action which could include fines and penalties.
Councillor Zafar Coupland, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing at Preston City Council said:
“Around a quarter of all housing in Preston is privately rented and due to many factors such as the cost of living crisis and the ongoing recovery from the Covid pandemic, a lack of investment in privately owned, rented housing stock has seen living standards decline, with many of our residents experiencing poor living conditions, which is unacceptable.
The introduction of Selective Licensing to help better regulate the Private Rented Sector and tackle the most deprived areas of the city, is a priority in our emerging Corporate Plan, and this consultation around the three pilot wards, where deprivation is prevalent, is the first crucial step in rolling out a more robust way to tackle poor quality housing and raise the housing standards for our residents.”
Main image credit – Tony Worrall