Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Environment and Resident Experience.

A Scrutiny Review by the Housing, Planning & Development Scrutiny Panel has been undertaken in respect of Landlord Licensing In the Private Rented Sector. A set of recommendation have been made for response by Cabinet.

The Chair of Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel will introduce the Scrutiny Review .

The Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters, and Planning will then provide the Cabinet response.

The Leader invited the Chair of the Housing, Planning and Development Scrutiny Panel to introduce her Scrutiny review report on Landlord Licensing in the Private Rented Sector.

The meeting noted that the recommendations reflected strong support for the work of the Council's private sector housing team and a desire to see its capacity and impact grow with an even greater emphasis on how the Council can support private renters.

Cllr Worrell was pleased that most of the recommendations had been accepted and continued to focus her presentation on responding to the recommendations that had not been accepted or partially agreed.

-       Although it was noted that Stroud, Green and Hornsey wards, at the time of evidence gathering, were not able to meet the same criteria that the east of the borough met for the selective scheme, it was still felt that the evidence base in these wards and possibly others should be revisited. In particular, the criteria for poor property conditions or antisocial behaviour Therefore, it was felt that a separate scheme could be created so that more households could benefit from a landlord licencing scheme and further hoped that this could be taken forward in the future.

-       In relation to response to recommendations two and six, further information was sought about the Council's legal interpretation of the use of resources being limited to enforcement of compliance with the scheme and whether the Council could assist tenants to pursue rent repayment orders similar to other Council's use resources for this purpose. Also, lobbying the government for there to be more flexibility, which the Panel have also recommended.

-       On the response to recommendation three, Cllr Worrell welcomed the refreshed and updated private sector housing team web pages and queried why the response stopped short of adopting a private renters charter and asked that this be reconsidered given the positive message to renters and advocacy organisations about our priorities.

-       With regards to private renters engaging with housing needs offices if they are deemed at risk of homelessness, Cllr Worrell, on behalf of the Scrutiny Panel, felt thattenancy relations officers could help deescalate challenging situations for private renters at an earlier stage and would wish to know more about why this role was felt to achieve limited outcomes and why the current approach was favoured.

-       On the responses to recommendation seven, in relation to waiting times for inspections, further consideration was asked to be given to the current level of resource as more staff could result in more fee income and enforcement activity to fund the work.

-       Referring to the response to recommendation 8, the importance of having genuinely random spot cheques on properties before a licence was granted, and not just on those suspected as being non-compliant. The reasoning for the recommendation was further outlined and explained that this could drive up standards as a whole before people come to apply for a licence or during the process if there is a perceived possibility that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 117