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Approval for Selective Licensing Phase 3 in Kersal/Charlestown
The landlord licensing team have received approval to introduce Selective Landlord Licensing in four designated areas of Kersal/Charlestown.
The start date for the scheme will be 1 January 2011. Licences will run for five years and the scheme will end on 31 December 2016.
Landlord faces bill to repay £6,000 of rent
A Salford landlord prosecuted for failing to get a licence for a property he rented has been ordered to pay back more than £6,000 of taxpayers' money. It is the first action of its kind taken by the city council and comes at the same time that three other landlords have been fined for not having the licences they require.
Adrian Petticrew of Lentworth Drive in Worsley pleaded guilty at Salford Magistrates' Court in July for not signing up to the city council's Selective Licensing Scheme, which operates in Seedley and Langworthy Regeneration area.
He now faces a bill of £6,256.15 to repay the rent money he took in the form of Local Housing Allowance over a 12 month period for the house he let without a licence on Highfield Road, Langworthy.
The city council put an application in to the Residential Property Tribunal to claim the money back that Petticrew was not licensed to take. The application was granted in the form of a rent repayment order which is the first to be issued in Salford. It gives the city council the power to reclaim Local Housing Allowance (LHA) payments from unlicensed landlords.
Meanwhile, in separate cases three other landlords have been fined a total of £2,000 for renting out properties without the licences.
Andrew Bevan was found guilty of failing to obtain a Selective Licence in relation to a property at Kara Street. He was fined £1,000, plus £279.09 costs and £15 victim surcharge.
Peter Stockton and Malcolm Whittle both admitted to failing to obtain a Selective Licence for their joint property at Langworthy Road. They were each fined £500, plus costs of £195 and £15 victim surcharge. The Selective Licensing Scheme was introduced by Salford City Council in May 2007 to secure improved standards of property management and to tackle problems of low demand and antisocial behaviour.
It currently covers the areas of the Langworthy and Seedley Regeneration area and certain areas of Broughton. Licences are granted only if landlords provide information about their management arrangements and pass a "fit and proper" person test.
At the hearing for Petticrew in July the court was told that the council sent him a licence application form and issued several reminders to which he did not reply. He later claimed he could not afford a licence whilst investing in improvements to the property.
In court he said he disagreed with the scheme and thought it was "another tax" but now realised it was a legal requirement. He has since successfully applied for a licence to rent property.
Councillor Peter Connor, lead member for housing, said: "Our licensing scheme offers support for both landlords and tenants and helps to raise standards in the private sector.
"In one case, it was taxpayers' money that was being paid to an unlicensed landlord and we have a duty to get this back on behalf of our residents.
"Rent repayment orders enable us to do this and we will continue to use these powers where necessary to challenge unlicensed landlords who choose to ignore our regulations.
"The other cases show that we will act on behalf of the city's tenants and will pursue landlords who don't play by the rules."
Approval for Selective Licensing in Broughton
The landlord licensing team have received approval from Communities Local Government (CLG) to introduce Selective Landlord Licensing in the Broughton Area.
The start date for the scheme will be 2 November 2009. Licences will run for five years and the scheme will end on 1 November 2014.
Selective Licensing consultation in areas of Kersal/Charlestown
Further to the successful implementation of Selective Licensing in the Seedley and Langworthy Regeneration area, the Landlord Licensing Team are currently putting together a proposal to the Government for phase 3 of Selective Licensing to be introduced in the areas of Kersal/Charlestown.
In order to obtain approval for this scheme we are required to provide evidence, amongst other things, that the local residents support the introduction of the Licensing scheme and consultation is now underway with the local community. This is being done through a number of questionnaires and also attendance at local resident group meetings.
If you would like the Landlord Licensing team to attend any resident meetings or more information on Selective Licensing contact the team on 0161 793 3344.
A landlord who failed to get a licence for his rented property in Salford has been convicted, in what is believed to be the first case of it's kind in Greater Manchester.
Salford landlord first in the country to receive licence under new scheme.
Selective licensing celebration and launch event
Salford City Council hosted an event on Friday 1 June 2007 in celebration of our successful selective licensing application for the Seedley and Langworthy regeneration area.
Selective licensing - a first for Salford
Salford has become the first local authority in the country to introduce new measures to clampdown on unscrupulous landlords.
This page was last updated on 5 October 2010
