Early bird discount for Scarborough landlords as part of new scheme

The scheme, which was approved by the council in November after extensive consultation with landlords, residents and other interested parties, will cover parts of the Castle, Central and North Bay wards in Scarborough and will last for five years from June 1 to May 31 2024.

To comply with the scheme, landlords of rented properties in the designated area need to apply for a licence from the council.

Although the scheme does not formally start until June 1, the council is providing an early bird discount of £50 per licence to encourage landlords to apply as early as possible for a licence.

The early bird discount will be in place from April 1 to May 31.

Discounts will also be available for applications where landlords are members of certain landlord organisations and for multiple licence applications.

The licence requires landlords to meet a range of licensing conditions including a current

gas safety certificate if there is gas in the property, working smoke alarms and safe

electrical appliances.

They must have suitable tenancy agreements and appropriate management arrangements in place, including those for dealing with anti-social behaviour and security.

Proposed licence holders and managers will also be required to prove that they are ‘fit and proper’ persons.

Details of the streets covered by the scheme can be found by selecting the Selective Licensing-Scarborough Central page at scarborough.gov.uk/housing.

Landlords can also access the online application facility for a licence from the same webpage.

If a landlord fails to apply for a licence this may result in prosecution and they will receive a fine.

Where landlords fail to comply with the licensing conditions and/or fail to complete any works required as a result of an inspection of the property, the council will initiate enforcement action, usually in the form of a formal notice.

Failure to comply with the notice could result in the council prosecuting the licence holder.

Any prosecution that arises from not being part of the scheme or not complying with the conditions of the licence could also lead to the licence holder no longer being classed as a ‘fit and proper’ person.

The new scheme follows on from the initial selective licensing scheme, which covered a different part of Scarborough and was launched in 2017.

More than 530 licences have been issued in the original scheme, known as Scarborough North, which covers different parts of Castle and North Bay wards.

The majority of licensed properties have been inspected and this has resulted in significant improvements to property conditions and management standards.

The council has also been proactive in chasing up landlords who had not applied and has successfully prosecuted five landlords to date.