Selective Licensing Scheme

The aim is to improve housing and social conditions for private sector tenants in this area, while tackling unethical landlords.

Since 7 January 2019, the scheme has required landlords of most private rented housing in this area to be licensed and meet conditions around health and safety and standards.

The Council will work with partners to deliver the project, carrying out inspections to identify and work with substandard landlords and to enforce compliance, with financial penalties for those who break conditions or simply fail to apply for a licence.

Regulation around compliant ethical landlords will be light touch. In addition to improving conditions for residents, this approach would create a level playing field for ethical landlords, by discouraging unethical landlords who have an unfair advantage in the market due to their poor practices.