Plans to clamp down on South Tyneside’s rogue landlords could be unlawful, a landlords’ lobby group has warned.
South Tyneside Council is working on proposals to beef-up regulations by forcing properties put up for let to conform to set standards.
But town hall chiefs have been told they have ‘no power’ to impose some of their suggested rules and urged it to instead make better use of existing tools to ‘root out criminal landlords’.
In its response to the council’s consultation on its planned licensing programme, which if approved could cover more than 3,000 houses and flats in South Shields, the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) focussed on electrical standards.
It claimed a Court of Appeal ruling meant it was now ‘unlawful’ to attempt to ‘regulate the condition or contents’ of a property.
It added: “The council also has a number of existing enforcement powers that it could use to root out criminal landlords, such as civil penalty orders and banning orders.
“The RLA argues that instead of introducing a new licensing scheme where only good landlords will come forward to licence their property, the council should make use of the existing enforcement powers it already has.”
Bosses at South Tyneside Council moved the landlord licensing scheme to its next stage last month (January) with the start of a 10-week public consultation.
The scheme is initially expected to cover the Beach Road area of the council’s Westoe and Beacon & Bents wards and the ‘Long Streets’ area in the Simonside & Rekendyke ward, in South Shields.
If approved, licence prices would start from about £550 per property and last five years.
It is hoped higher rental standards will stabilise rental and market values, as well as reduce the number of homes sitting empty.
Responding, a council spokeswoman said: “The RLA’s statement contains a number of inaccuracies, for example, the proposed scheme does not apply to all privately rented properties in the three wards.
“The purpose of any such scheme would be to drive up standards in the sector.
“The proposals are still at the consultation stage and the licensing conditions have not yet been set.”
Comments on the proposed scheme can be submitted until Wednesday, March 25.
