Liverpool City Council has officially launched the controversial landlord licensing scheme, making it mandatory for landlords to apply for a licence before 1 April 2015.

Landlords will have to pay £400 per property for a five-year licence, which is £100 less than the original figure suggested by the council. Landlords with more than one property will have to pay £350 for each additional home, although members of accredited landlord schemes such as CLASS will pay £200 per property.

The first payment of £100 per property will be charged in April and the remaining balance will be payable by the end of the year.

The scheme is aimed at weeding out bad landlords and a licence requires criteria in fire, electric and gas safety is met. It also requires landlords to demonstrate they can fix disrepair, tackle pest infestations, keep the exterior in a good state of repair and deal with complaints about nuisance.

Assistant Mayor and Cabinet member for housing, Councillor Ann O’Byrne, says: “We welcome investments being made in property in the city, and responsible landlords who provide quality accommodation have nothing to fear, that is why we have put in place substantial discounts for those who are already members of accredited schemes.”

Last week Your Move held a debate between Cllr Ann O’Byrne, Darren Hardy, head of housing at Liverpool City Council, and agents Louis Anastasiou of Andrew Louis and Steven Latham of Concentric Lettings to debate the topic of landlord licensing amid fears it could mean higher rents in the city.

You can read the full landlord licensing debate here.

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