Council greenlights licensing scheme despite landlord objections
8 months ago | 3 comments
Council’s selective licensing team says landlords CAN break the rules
by Mick Roberts
9:37 AM, 10th September 2025, 7 months ago
7
Categories:
Yes, you read the headline right, they really did.
Basically, if another department of Nottingham City Council is breaking the rules and conditions, and as long as the council gets their selective licensing fee, it will let this flagrant breach happen. After all, everything has a price, doesn’t it?
They say if it’s out of the landlord’s control, they will allow breaches.
Hang on a minute, aren’t most things out of the landlord’s control, like if a tenant has rubbish all over the garden, or if a tenant is causing noise issues? The council will prosecute us for those.
However, because this breach of licensing conditions is the council’s fault, is that allowed then? Surely that’s a double standard. A private landlord is not allowed to break the concocted rules, yet the council can?
I kid you not, here is the case of what happened to me.
I have four flats and all are leasehold with the council. The council are in control of external gate keys. I can do nothing about this. Occasionally, the council changes the locks and keys, and key codes if electronic.
Now, if a private landlord changes the locks, they must give tenants the new keys within a reasonable timeframe. But when Nottingham Council changes the locks and then fails to give the landlord a key, even after two years, the selective licensing team says that’s acceptable. Why? Is it simply because they won’t prosecute their own council for this breach?
I am breaching the rules. If the tenant loses their key, I cannot get them in. I have asked for enforcement against me, because, as a six-year-old can see, it has nothing to do with me. But the council would then have to take enforcement against their own council.
Everyone with common sense can see this stinks. They either have to prosecute me, refuse me a licence and refund my money, or remove that condition. Surely it has to be one of those three, does it not?
They can’t issue me a licence knowing I can’t comply with the rules. Can they?
I received an update from Nottingham Council’s selective licensing team to say they will drop this condition. Why? Because otherwise they would have to prosecute themselves, since it is they themselves who cannot comply.
This is shocking, one rule for landlords, another rule for the council.
Tags:
council double standards, Landlord Licensing, Landlord rights, Nottingham City Council, property licensing nottingham, Selective Licensing
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Member Since May 2025 - Comments: 74
8:50 AM, 10th September 2025, About 7 months ago
What a surprise….
I would suggest doing a Freedom of Information request against Nottingham council to publish the accounts for their Selective Licencing scheme. I suspect they are illegally making money from it (just like all councils).
Member Since September 2025 - Comments: 1
10:29 AM, 10th September 2025, About 7 months ago
Absolute joke, the council are a mafia rules for them and treat us the hard working landlord like sh#1
Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 3248 - Articles: 81
4:02 PM, 10th September 2025, About 7 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Suspicious Steve at 10/09/2025 – 08:50
Think they got found out a few years ago of funds being misappropriated. They have no shame.
Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 3248 - Articles: 81
4:03 PM, 10th September 2025, About 7 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Brendan Lally at 10/09/2025 – 10:33
Most of the Councils are shocking, they move departments in 5 years & say Ooh that’s nothing to do with me now, meanwhile we & the tenants are left with the mess.
Member Since September 2023 - Comments: 92
10:17 PM, 10th September 2025, About 7 months ago
I may be crossing this slightly but I am sure that there is a legal Latin term for prosecuting when an agency is also breaking the same law etc. Closest I can find is
Ex turpi causa non oritur actio, which is a Latin legal doctrine meaning “no action arises from a dishonorable cause”. This doctrine states that a person cannot bring a legal action if their claim arises from their own illegal act
It feels slightly out but the principle is the same.
Im sure someone with greater understanding than I could clarify, but that could make interesting times for councils if a FOI output shows a council openly breaching at the same time as bringing legal action for the same offence
Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 3248 - Articles: 81
6:42 AM, 11th September 2025, About 7 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Paddy O’Dawes at 10/09/2025 – 22:17
Probably why after 2 years they dropped the condition.
Smacks of Double standards doesn’t it
Member Since September 2023 - Comments: 92
9:01 AM, 11th September 2025, About 7 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 11/09/2025 – 06:42
It does but im wondering if anyone in the same position gets an absolute defence of they can demonstrate the council committing any of the same infringements.