Proposed £1100 licence fee for Landlords in Leicester?

Larry Sweeney and campaigners in Liverpool managed to make sure the Selective licensing scheme was not renewed by the government, and I have a list of articles below:

https://www.property118.com/landlords-victory-in-liverpool/

https://www.property118.com/high-court-enforcement-action-against-liverpool-city-council/

https://www.property118.com/selective-licensing-scheme-overturned-brighton/

https://www.property118.com/another-council-abandons-selective-licencing-proposals/

https://www.property118.com/selective-licensing-scheme-additional-powers-ruled-illegal-court-appeal/

Telford & Wrekin >>> https://www.property118.com/consultation-feedback-halts-selective-licensing/

and Milton Keynes >>> https://www.property118.com/milton-keynes-abandon-selective-licensing/

https://www.property118.com/fight-against-massive-selective-licensing-scheme-in-county-durham/

https://www.property118.com/government-reject-brent-council-application-to-extend-licensing-scheme/

You might decide to do a Freedom of Information request to reveal how many rogue and criminal landlords have been prosecuted for offences under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 and how many Improvement Notices, etc have been issued or prosecutions made for non-compliance with similar notices and how many Prohibition Orders and Banning Orders have been made in the last twenty years.

If the result is low or even zero then that seriously calls into question the council's willingness to use any legal powers it already has to chase the bad guys and strongly hints that they are simply feathering their own nests by focussing on collecting money from the low-hanging fruit made up of honest, already mostly health-and-safety-compliant landlords that will not evade paying the proposed licence fees whilst the criminals continue to fly under the radar, hidden behind a mask of multiple layers of management, fake names and origami-prone Ltd companies.

interesing...it seems that in some cased the government has stepped in and said that council cannot put these licencing schemes in place. If this is the case then does this set 'case law' as it were? What is the process for making the government aware of this?
It seems a lot of councils are 'consulting' on this but the forms are too long, deadlines to respond to short and by all accounts the decision made beforehand anyway.
Can a single LL challenge the council once they have decided to put this type of licencing in place?

This is absolutely ludicrous and again as landlords are being penalised - 'Easy Targets' and easy money.
Whilst I appreciate the need for scheme BUT the FEEs are totally ridiculous and totally unreasonable.
£1100 per property is crazy and i suspect this is not a one-off fee.
I will be passing the FEE over to tenants and thus increase their RENT or consider additional service charge for NEW tenancy's if the law allows of course?
Any thoughts from other appreciated...

Sounds absolutely awful, but the city is plagued wth numerous problems in different districts. Adding a licensing scheme will only drive out legitimate landlords and compund the city's general demise. However the city thrieves on a sub culture of illicit housing which no amount of formal licensing will ever eliminate, it will only drive desparate tenants into the hands of the illegal landlords.

Decades of experience of this city give you a true insight on how it operates. It is not one uniformed body but numerous informal sub cultures. A world in which existing HMO licensing does not work and no further legislation will permeate the undesirable aspects of housing in the city.

Reply to the comment left by Neil Patterson at 12/01/2022 - 08:59
And Barnsley. We won ! You have to challenge the councils data, in our experience this was untrue.

https://www.property118.com/barnsley-council-selective-licensing-scheme-four-key-areas-will-put-forward-cabinet-28th-june-2017/

In Nottingham, it's increased rents by 40% in 3 years.
Supply reduced massively as Landlords who have done nothing wrong & done good job in the past, pack up cause they think they are being fined for nothing.
Remaining Landlords can choose who they like & charge what they like.
Real losers are the tenants after the Landlords initial paperwork & cost pain.

Best thing is to get tenants to write in, Govt & Councils not bothered about hearing it from Landlords. Below is my draft text for when Nottingham go for renewal.

Not finished this yet, will tidy up when due.

Some of u are are paying considerably less than market rent-Some know it, some don't. If the below gets renewed, your lower rent doesn't pay for these increased costs that does nothing to make your house better. I urge u to email in to all the below parties to say your piece, as higher newer costs results in higher rents & rent increases has to pay for this. As some of u know, I don't even want your house, am only keeping if for u.

Nottingham Council Selective Licensing are going for renewal Oct 2022. They have to ask the secretary of State for permission again.
Up to Aug 2021 they had £15.5 million pounds in & only found 270 bad houses. That's £57,000 a house that u have paid for in rent when u had nothing wrong with your house.

If some of u aren't in the Licensing area now, on renewal, they may include your area.
I can't pay these increased unnecessary costs if you are paying a lower than market rent.

Please change the below to suit u.

Miss XXX
27 XXX Street
Bulwell
Nottingham
NG6

I am currently paying considerably lower than market rent. I don't have a problem with my home or Landlord & I don't want this Licensing. If my Landlord has to pay your extortionate £890 feel coupled with all the onerous & punitive restrictive conditions we don't want, then I will have to have my rent bought up to normal levels. Why should I have to pay more for something I don't want, that will only make me & many Benefit tenants worse off?

We cannot move as it is as no Nottingham Landlord is taking Benefit tenants any more since Selective Licensing was bought in. And rents have shot up.

This is my home, not yours. Why are u jeopardizing this?

Put your name, address & phone number top of letter otherwise some may reject it.

Secretary of state email

Councillor who responsible for Licensing fee increase
linda.woodings@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Nottm Council Labour boss who supports Licensing
david.mellen@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Nottingham North MP
alex.norris.mp@parliament.uk

We had the scheme in Peterborough in 2016 but only in areas where rental properties where above a certain percentage in comparison to owner occupied property. It was a nightmare!
Initially with being a member of RLA I could apply for a reduction of the £900 fee to just £50 per property.. They(or I missed one property that didn't come up in initial checks and subsequently had to be in the scheme and surprise surprise they'd taken the £50 "deal" away after the start of the scheme.
Yes they came to inspect property and mine are in good condition etc but some had older fuseboards so they had to be replaced.
One also needed a new kitchen as I didn't have a 30cm worktop space to one side of the freestanding cooker! I just couldn't fit a new worktop so landed up all being replaced as a knock on effect.(new units/tiles/oven and hob, flooring etc) so there's likely to be extra costs for a lot of landlords.
You could very rarely get hold of anyone to speak to at the council end or if you left messages they never got back to you.
If you have several properties this scheme cost is a disaster after all the previous loss of tax breaks etc, there was no option to pay monthly for instance.
Here's to hoping you can fight it.
Amazingly Peterborough hadn't reintroduced it (as yet?) as the scheme ended in Oct '21.

Oh and as an extra kick in the nuts to my above reply, I had to report a neighbour that was continuously dumping rubbish, fridge freezer, laminate flooring and general crap outside in the front adjoining shared garden to my property so looked great when I was trying to advertise my house. Was there for months.
Guess what, next door is a council owned property/tenant!!

Welcome to the world of additional licensing or should that be additional taxation ! ... they’re all at it and we are paying for it.