County Durham to be hit by largest Selective Licensing proposal yet!

County Durham to be hit by largest Selective Licensing proposal yet!

8:50 AM, 9th March 2020, About 4 years ago 3

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The proposed scheme will cover 51,000 properties across County Durham! Landlords will have to pay up to £590 for each property in this area which could net the Council more than £25,000 000 in licence fees.

Durham County Council (DCC) claim that their scheme will cover almost two thirds of the county, by area, but our calculations suggest that around 90% of the rental properties in the county will be covered.

Landlords with properties in the county are being invited to support Durham PLuSS, which has been set up by local and national landlords associations to fight these proposals.

Stephen Hare, one of the organisers, said “It takes literally one minute to sign up on our website, www.durhamplus.co.uk, and we have over 350 landlords representing over 5,000 properties on board already!”

“The problem with these Selective Licensing Schemes is that they only really catch the good and responsible landlords, who sign up and pay the licence fee.  The rogue landlords, that organisers say they want the schemes to address, don’t engage.  Besides, there are more than 150 Acts of Parliament and 400 regulations affecting landlords in the private rented sector, surely councils could use some of these powers to address rogue landlord rather than putting yet another financial burden on good landlords!”

Suzy Chivers, chair of Durham Pluss, added “The funds raised by Selective Licencing Schemes can only be spent on the administration of the scheme.  The massive sums that Durham County Council are looking to raise surely go well beyond what they will need for this.”

“This will be a cost for Landlords but it will inevitably be passed onto tenants in increased rent.  This is, in effect, a Tenant Tax!”

If you have a property in County Durham please visit www.durhamplus.co.uk and register your support.

If you have a property in Stockton, there is a sister scheme www.pluss.me.uk which has received the backing of their Borough Council as an alternative to their Selective Licencing proposals.  So if you have a property in Stockton, please sign up with them.

Darlington is also a separate Borough Council and they don’t have a scheme proposed.  So, if you have properties in Darlington, they are not covered by DCC’s proposed scheme.

Stephen Hare


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Comments

Darlington Landlord

10:13 AM, 10th March 2020, About 4 years ago

If Durham Council's proposed massive scheme gets through, it will only be a matter of time before Darlington Council consider one.

Glenn Ackroyd

16:33 PM, 14th March 2020, About 4 years ago

When my rental properties in Durham becoming vacant, they will be sold.

I'm going to put my first one on the market next week.

Ronald Crane

8:30 AM, 31st May 2020, About 4 years ago

This un-just proposed landlords licencing tax is being considered now in Bournemouth, Poole areas ! Its just more "Landlord Bashing! If local authorities want to squeeze more revenue from any given areas, they should raise the Council Tax.
But they wont do that will they because they,d be up-roar in those area. Instead the Councils choose to go after Landlords as a "soft option". I like many other Landlords, in selling up, are evicting long term Housing Benefit tenants who the Councils are un-able to rehouse. Land lords are doing the job for the Councils, and yet being persecuted by them!
So, come on & jointly Rebel against this un-just Licencing proposal in the Bournemouth & Poole & other areas.
We must protest to our Local Councils & M.P.s (before its too late!)
R.Crane
landlord

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