Anti-social tenants are always a problem, particularly if you happen to live next door to them, and to combat the problem of anti social tenants in the private rental sector, Selective Housing laws have been introduced. These laws require that private landlords operating within certain designated areas, typically areas with poor housing and a higher than average level of social problems, must apply for a licence to rent out their properties.
Local authorities can apply to have parts of their boroughs designated as a Selective Licensing area in order to reduce the number of problem tenants and sub-standard houses. This means anyone owning a house in one of these areas must apply for a licence before renting it to a tenant to ensure that they are managing their properties in a responsible manner.
None of my properties fall within a Selective Licensing area, but if they did, I would be more than happy to comply with the laws and apply for the appropriate licences. However, one landlord in a Selective Licensing area of Middlesbrough apparently considered himself to be above the law, and despite being repeatedly warned that he needed to have a licence to let his properties, he failed to act. Consequently he was convicted in his absence and fined a hefty £1,600 plus costs.
The message here is clear. Landlords operating within Selective Licensing areas of the country cannot afford to ignore their legal and moral responsibilities: local authorities will not hesitate to enforce the Law when rogue landlords are in breach of it.
