A scheme which requires landlords of rented homes in Bristol to be licensed has been extended to three new and large areas of the city.
People living in rented properties in the Horfield, Bedminster and Brislington West wards of the city now have extra protection, council housing chiefs have said, because their landlords will have to get licences and be subject to regular checks.
It’s the first big expansion of the landlord licensing scheme since 12 more wards in the city centre were added to the initial scheme before the pandemic.
Read more: The truth behind the shocking state of rented homes in Bristol
In Horfield, almost a third of all homes are privately rented. Landlords in Horfield who rent out houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) will have to get a licence from the council to continue to do so. HMOs are classified as a house or a flat that is occupied by three or more unrelated people who live together and share facilities including kitchens or bathrooms - so that covers everything from a standard 3-bed house-share to bigger HMOs with multiple bedsits where people have shared facilities too.
And in Bedminster and Brislington West, the landlord licensing scheme goes further, and includes all private rented properties - not just HMOs - that are occupied by one or two tenants, or a family, but doesn’t include homes where a landlord or landlady lives there and rents out fewer than three rooms to lodgers.
The city council have worked out that in Brislington West and Bedminster, the new licensing schemes will cover 2,222 rented homes that aren’t HMOs, and in all three areas, the total number of HMOs that now require the landlord to be licensed is 686, to add to the 479 HMOs that already have to be licensed.
The landlord licensing scheme was first introduced nine years ago in a small area of Stapleton Road in Easton, and it meant council housing officers had increased powers to inspect and sanction rogue landlords.
It gradually grew in geographical area, with whole council wards in east Bristol and the inner city being added, and it grew in the scope of the type of rented housing it covered.
It was through the licensing scheme that council officers were able to take action against rogue landlords like Alternative Housing, which was named as Britain’s most prosecuted charity and who rented out a room to a man who had been dead inside it for months, at an address in St Pauls in 2017.
Bristol’s housing chief, Cllr Tom Renhard, said the licensing scheme was about improving the conditions of rented homes and flats in the city.
“Although most private landlords provide a good standard of accommodation and service to their tenants, many do not,” he said. “Some houses are in poor condition and poorly managed, with a significant number let to vulnerable tenants who are unaware of their rights or are not aware of the minimum standards of accommodation their landlord should provide.
“We are clear that the small minority of rogue landlords and property agents who knowingly flout their legal obligations, rent out accommodation which is substandard and harass their tenants, should be prevented from managing or letting housing,” he added.
“We take the wellbeing of people renting properties across the city very seriously and we want everyone to feel confident that their home is safe and fit for habitation. Property licensing is one of a number of tools we are using to make sure all rented properties in the city are up to a certain standard.
“Living in a home that is in poor condition, or being badly managed, can have a significant negative impact on the health and wellbeing of tenants. We will continue to lead the way in doing what we can to protect and empower people living in privately rented housing, including having a strong voice nationally to hold Government to account on the long-delayed renters reform bill.
“We would encourage all landlords to apply for the relevant licenses and to work with us to help protect vulnerable tenants and make people across the city more comfortable in their homes,” he added.
Landlords now have until July 5 this year to apply for a licence.
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