Private Rented Property Licensing

John Hubbard

The Aim The key aim of the council’s introduction of the PRPL scheme is to help combat Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) in privately rented property. It will also regulate and raise standards within the private rented sector.

How will this be achieved? The Licence has 24 conditions which make the licence holder responsible for their tenants’ behaviour, the condition of their property and any management arrangements. Some examples include:

• dealing with anti-social behaviour • ensuring that that all outhouses, garages and sheds are kept

secured and used for their intended purpose• following up missed rent payments

PRPL – Tackling anti-social behaviour

PRPL headlines to date

PRPL Headlines as at 30/06/2015

• Applications received – 15,913• Licenses issued – 4,022• 104% of Early Bird Target applications received• Received 280 Temporary Exemption requests - 135 have

been issued • Identified additional Council Tax revenue• Moving into Audit and Compliance in August as planned

Intelligence used for Audit and Compliance

Licensed properties database

Tenant/landlord report through the

internet

Referrals from Council Services (Education/Health/Police/Housi

ng Standards/Community Safety/Neighborhoods)

Referrals from Ascham Homes (Housing

Solutions/Neighborhood Services)

Selective Licensing Team investigations including Council

Tax, Housing Benefit, Zoopla/Rightmove/Gumtree

Housing/Northgate

Civica

Housing Benefit/Academy

Equifax

Council Tax

Landbase

Licensed properties database

Tenant/landlord report through the

internet

Referrals from Council Services (Education/Health/Police/Housi

ng Standards/Community Safety/Neighborhoods)

Referrals from Ascham Homes (Housing

Solutions/Neighborhood Services)

Selective Licensing Team investigations including Council

Tax, Housing Benefit, Zoopla/Rightmove/Gumtree

Housing/Northgate

Civica

Housing Benefit/Academy

Equifax

Council Tax

Landbase

PRPL - Intelligence

Councillors

PRPL

Referrals from Ascham Homes (Housing

Solutions/Neighborhood Services)

Equifax

Council Tax

ASB

Policing Partnerships

Housing StandardsPlanning Enforcement

Co-location in Neighbourhood

Teams

Trading Standards

Council Tax Public Health

Education/Social Services

PRPL - Partnerships

Tenants Council

PRPL – Case Studies

High Road Leytonstone: Worked with enforcement and planning and CTAX to identify 2 new properties that CTAX is owing on.

Gainsford Road: Applied for flats A,B,C and D – but only 1 Council Tax record

identified. Currently arranging joint visit with Planning Enforcement.

The Licensing Team have identified another 30 properties which are under investigation for CTAX underpayments. CTAX maybe able to claim backdated payments for up to 6 years.

PRPL – Case Studies

Trading Standards: Supported Trading Standards in ensuring all Lettings Agencies are a member of a Government redress scheme. Licensing Officers identified and visited all agencies in the Borough promoting Private Rented Property Licensing and gathered evidence of compliance with redress scheme. All agencies that did not provide evidence of compliance have been passed to Trading Standards.

PRPL – Case Studies

Church Hill: Worked with local Resident Association and Neighbourhood Officer to identify breaches of licence conditions including unsecured garages, rubbish on stair well, fire safety hazards and hazardous windows. Licensing Team contacted the Management Committee who have agreed to:

• Repair damaged glazed window on communal staircase

• Clear rubbish and make safe communal drying room

• Garage area cleared out of all fly tipping and rubbish and secure all garages

• Cameras coverage to be extended to cover more of the car park area to prevent fly tipping.

• Write to tenants advising them that decent levels of cleanliness in the communal areas such as stairwells, parking/ garage areas and gardens should be maintained.

• Remind all tenants to put their rubbish in the provided bins, or that for larger articles such as furniture, beds, appliances they contact the council who will collect and remove this rubbish for free and that failure to do so would result in the Management committee writing directly to the owner advising them of their tenant’s anti-social behaviour