Transcript Document
Practical Property Licensing
Ian Wright Environmental Health Service Manager Oxford City Council
Setting the scene - Oxford
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28% stock in PRS
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Least affordable City in the UK
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Large numbers of HMOs in Oxford >5,000
– Worst housing stock in the city – Management problems e.g. waste, ASB – Article 4 introduced February 2012 •
Longstanding priority issue
– HMO Team since late 1980’s – Registration Scheme introduced in 1999 – Bid to CLG in 2007 – Corporate Priority - Meeting Housing Need •
Cross party political support
Key aims of Licensing
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Improve property conditions
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Improve management of HMOs
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Improve knowledge and relationship with landlords
Improved property standards
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Certification required with licence application
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Every HMO inspected before a licence is issued
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Minimum standards for facilities and amenities
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Licence conditions attached to the majority of licences
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Reinspections are carried out to check compliance
Fit and Proper landlords
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Licensing requires fit and proper test
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Bad landlords forced out or forced to improve
Fit and Proper landlords
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Good landlords get rewarded, e.g. Accreditation
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Good landlords want to see bad landlords dealt with effectively
Enforcement outcomes
• 4 demolitions of unlawful dwellings • 57 prosecutions with in excess of £100K fines • 23 Formal cautions • 4 Interim Management Orders • 1 Rent Repayment order • Protection from Eviction Act 1977 • 5 cases • 2 Landlords have gone to prison • 6 weeks (suspended) & 3 months • Fines/ costs awarded of £26k
Improved communication
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Knowledge and contact with landlords significantly improved
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Improved knowledge of PRS sector
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Wider audience for events and newsletters
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Dealing with community concerns
Impacts so far
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3,500 licensed
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>95% need additional work
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Significant investment into the sector
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Politicians, residents & sector view in Oxford – getting better
– Now more business as usual for landlords – Residents like greater accountability – Passing the new term test – Investors looking for compliance
Impacts so far
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Poor compliance on reinspection
– 1397 revisits sampled – Only 40% fully complied – 15.5% had outstanding licence conditions and required additional licence conditions required – 4% referred for enforcement •
Representations from landlords now declined
– Lessons learned •
Appeals to Tribunal
Future issues
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Continues to be a tough sector to regulate
– No end in sight to regular prosecutions – Continue to deal with unlicensed HMOS •
Concern over migration into unlicensed stock
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Increasing deterrent effect – POCA, RRO
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Unlikely to end licensing after 5 years