AN AREA improvement scheme that requires all private rented properties in North Ormesby to be licensed by Middlesbrough Council is now in effect.
As a result landlords or their managing agents will have four weeks, from January 1, to complete an online application for each property they are renting out in the area.
Licence conditions include providing evidence that annual gas safety checks are carried out, that pre-tenancy reference checks are carried out, tenants are issued with an appropriate tenancy agreement, and where applicable, that landlords have a plan in place to tackle anti-social behaviour by tenants.
The one off licence fee will last for the five years of the designation, and is payable in two instalments: £290 to be paid immediately on application and a further £290 to be paid at a later date, when the application has been granted.
The licence holder will also have to meet certain “fit and proper person” criteria in order to obtain a licence; an additional £20 is payable for this, per landlord.
Councillor Mick Thompson, Middlesbrough Council’s Executive Member for Communities and Public Health, said: “The Selective Landlord Licensing Scheme will complement work such as targeted local housing investment and the work of the Big Local, and all the other agencies working hard to bring about improvement in North Ormesby.”
North Ormesby is one of Middlesbrough’s historical older housing areas, with strong community groups and good infrastructure, but it has experienced a swift and significant decline in property and management standards, and an increase in crime, anti-social behaviour and deprivation issues over recent years, which in turn have had an adverse effect upon the local residents.
The North Ormesby Selective Landlord Licensing with Early Help scheme gained Executive approval by Middlesbrough Council in September.
The Housing Act 2004 gives the Council powers to introduce Selective Landlord Licensing (SLL) over a five year period for privately rented properties in areas experiencing low housing demand and/or significant and persistent anti-social behaviour.
The purpose of such schemes is to improve standards of property management in the private rented sector, which, when combined with other measures, should lead to improved social and economic conditions in the designated area.
Selective Licensing was overwhelmingly supported by local stakeholders as important in bringing positive change in North Ormesby for individuals, families and the wider community.
Further information
Online information and FAQs on the scheme for landlords and tenants is available here:
http://www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/sll
Enquiries about Selective Landlord Licensing can be made by emailing:
selectivelandlordlicensing@middlesbrough.gov.uk