Selective licensing of privately rented properties to be introduced in Scarborough South
The scheme will operate in the town's Weaponness and Ramshill ward
Scarborough Borough Council is set to introduce selective licensing of privately rented properties to parts of Scarborough’s Weaponness and Ramshill ward.
From Sunday (1st May), the scheme, to be known as Scarborough South, will operate in areas where there are high concentrations of these properties, a large number of which are in poor condition and poorly managed.
Landlords of privately rented properties in the designated area will need to apply for a licence from the council and comply with a range of licensing conditions designed to tackle the problems.
Government approval was required because the introduction of the scheme means there will be more than 20% of privately rented properties - the limit the government puts in place for councils to introduce their own schemes without national approval - subject to selective licensing in the borough.
The scheme is one of the few to have been approved by government in recent years.
The Scarborough South scheme will be in place from 1st May 2022 until 30 April 2027.
Landlords that fail to apply for a licence, or do not comply with the licensing conditions, will be subject to prosecution. An unlimited fine may be imposed. In addition, breaking any of the licence conditions could result in fines of up to £5,000 per offence.
The council will undertake inspections of the properties and work with landlords to ensure that all privately rented properties within the designated area meet appropriate standards.
Along with the two existing schemes already in operation in other parts of the town, the Scarborough South scheme will take the number of privately rented homes covered by a selective licensing scheme in the borough to more than 3,000 properties.
Find out more about the scheme, and a map of the area and list of the streets that will be covered, here: https://www.scarborough.gov.uk/home/housing/selective-licensing-scarborough-south.