The City of Peterborough has received selective licencing applications for three quarters of the properties due to be included in the ten-ward scheme, with a deadline for the completion of applications due at the end of November.

A council spokesperson has told LandlordZONE that the number of properties due to be covered by the five-year, £908 scheme, which is not city-wide, is likely to have increased from the original estimate submitted to the secretary of state in March of 8,457 rented homes.

The scheme, which will see local landlords pay some £7.7 million towards the scheme’s operation, will cover 40% of the city’s rented housing stock and is designed to help regulate its growing private rented sector which has increased as a proportion of all housing from 19% in 2015 to 25% today. Licences can be held by both landlords or their designated lettings agency.

A spokesperson for the council adds: “Selective Licensing covers a geographic area of the city and will not include all privately rented properties within Peterborough”.

Deadline

The council has already received some 7,000 applications from landlords for selective licences, so the remaining landlords of some 1,800 properties now have 14 weeks to get their paperwork in order.

Following a consultation which received complaints about the difficult application process, the council introduced a more streamlined system.

Mike Brook, Scheme Manager at the council's licencing arm Home Safe, says: “The volume of applications received in recent months is very encouraging and is evidence of the fact that the council has made it easier and quicker for landlords to comply with their obligations.

“We’re pleased to see that the online process is proving effective with the average time to complete an application taking just a matter of minutes."

The council is start inspecting properties in September and has warned non-compliant landlords that they face fines of up to £30,000 and could have to pay back a year’s rent to their tenants.