Council wants to extend selective licensing scheme to improve poor property conditions

A council plans to introduce a new selective licensing scheme to “help raise living standards”.

Brighton and Hove council introduced a new licensing scheme in September, requiring landlords to obtain a license for properties with one or two tenants, families, or single-storey flats and bungalows with three or four unrelated residents.

The council wants to extend the selective licensing scheme to cover an extra 13 wards in the area on the grounds of poor property conditions.

Link between poor property conditions and private rented homes

More than 2,100 properties across Kemptown, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, Queen’s Park and Whitehawk and Marina wards currently require a selective licence.

The council claims in these areas there is a clear link between poor property conditions and private rented homes.

Councillor Gill Williams, chair of the Housing and New Homes Committee, said: “Improving homes across the city is a key part of our plan for a better Brighton & Hove.

“Too often we hear from residents in private rental accommodation about their poor experiences – introducing licensing in these four wards will allow us to raise standards.

“We’ve already seen the benefits property licensing brings for better managed and safer homes. It can also benefit landlords by putting us in a better position to help them improve and maintain their properties.

“We also know we have work to do ourselves to improve the safety and quality of council-rented homes – and we have increased investment to achieve that.”

HMO licensing scheme

Brighton and Hove council has also introduced an HMO licensing scheme.

The city-wide additional HMO Licensing scheme, which was introduced in July, has received more than 1,600 applications since its launch.

It covers houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) of two or more storeys with three or four occupiers.