In a bid to ‘improve’ and make our streets safer Nottingham City Council have detailed in their latest proposal plans to license ALL private rental properties dated 18 Nov 2016 Nottingham City.
In a move to generate 22.625 Million pounds of income over the next 5 years. Nottingham City Council propose to levy a charge of £600 per/property per/year.
The introduction of a licensing scheme for private rented accommodation to drive up standards and protect tenants across the City is a key objective in the current Council Plan for 2015-2019 and one which Lloyd Rumbold of Belvoir Lettings fully supports, as both a resident in the City and owner of two Belvoir lettings offices that serve the capital. Selective Licensing (a power available to local authorities to licence private rented houses) aims to improve living conditions for residents both in the private rented sector and the surrounding community and drive up standards.
However, in doing so – this also implies that Crime & anti-social behaviour is solely attributed to Tenants?! And that the poor standards of properties in Nottingham relate solely to those provided by landlords.
Something that Lloyd Rumbold strongly rebuts.
The Private rental sector has changed significantly over the past 5 years and what was once viewed as the only alternative for persons that were unable to afford to buy a property of their own. This now couldn’t be a more out-dated view and has instead become the preferred housing option for the most part of the UK.
Reduced employment opportunities has led to a need for our housing to be more flexible and to move to where employment and prospects are strongest with just a months’ notice. As a direct result, the influx of high standard ‘Home Ready’ quality properties has also meant that the expectations and requirements of a tenant are now higher than ever before and for these reasons, backed by my experience serving those very same clients on a daily basis. Nottingham City council’s latest proposal is so devoid of reason and in my opinion serves only as another form of stealth tax on the private rental sector.
We will have to wait to hear how this latest proposal will pan out and how it will affect both our City and its residents. However what I am certain of is that very few will object to improvements but funding this from the hand that already provides the advances is utterly senseless.
Full document available for review (page 25-166) following the link below:
http://committee.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/documents/g5771/Public%20reports%20pack%2022nd-Nov-2016%2014.00%20Executive%20Board.pdf?T=10
