Selective Landlord licensing- Firvale & Page Hall

Hi All

Not sure if people have heard but the Sheffield City Council are looking into putting a special landlord licencing scheme in Firvale and Page Hall, (details that I read in the Burngreave messenger newsletter).

From the article it looks like they will charge the landlord £750 per property.

Now my fear is that this charge will be passed from the landlord to the tenant in the area pushing up ordinary people's expenses further at a time when living costs are already going up at a very high rate and wages are not keeping pace.

However the Council will make a tidy sum for providing a licence which to me appears to not be much use to either the tenant or the landlord.

Also if landlords can't get a licence will we see more empty houses as landlords decide to keep properties empty? Or eviction of tenant families who have been living in a home for a number of years ? Will this scheme be rolled out throughout Sheffield in the not to distant future?

I don't know the full details of this proposed scheme but was wondering if other people were aware of the proposals and had more details ?

Regards

Last warrior

I assume that as you read about this in the Burngreave Messenger, you live in the area?

If so, you can't fail to have noticed that Page Hall and Fir Vale have been swamped by roma gypsies Slovakians over the last decade. These irresponsible tenants are crammed into small, sub-standard houses by absent landlords and have done what most people in Sheffield didn't think was physically possible - they've actually made Page Hall and Fir Vale worse places to live

Surely anything that encourages landlords in the area to act responsibly, to maintain their properties and to vet and take responsibility for any prospective tenants is a good thing?

Here's a link to the article, and the point of the scheme is to make landlords more responsible so yes, I'm in favour of it:

http://www.burngreavemessenger.org/archives/april-2013-issue-105/landlord-licensing-for-fir-vale/

‘Selective Licensing’ gives local councils extra powers to manage the quality of private rented properties and ensure high standards are met by landlords and their tenants.

The need for higher standards in private rented properties in Page Hall and Fir Vale was highlighted in the latest housing sector study which showed the area has some of the highest levels of poor quality housing in Sheffield.

i had to call at a property the other week on popple street, the area has gone down hill over recent years, litter all over the road and paths, bins un emptied as they were over flowing with rubbish so people pile more bags by the side of the bins which will never get picked up by the bin men,

as i got out of my car a man came out of his house and kicked a glass bottle which had been left outside his front door and which smashed in the middle of the road.

i couldn't wait to get out of the place, feel sorry for the people who actually have pride in there area/house and have to watch as the area continues to go down hill.

I agree the area has gone down hill and there are problems with litter and antisocial behaviour. However what I find hard to understand is how licencing will improve the area ?

The council can't say to landlords don't rent your houses to a particular community or to immigrants from a particular country as that would be against the law.

The government allowed EU immigrants into the country (whether people agree it was the right decision is another topic altogether) but now it seems the council want to restrict them living in a specific area.

Will they just not move into the nearby neighbourhoods (Firth Park, Burngreave ) and cause similar problems there ? These people will still live in Sheffield and as new immigrants will want to set up their own communities where they feel safe.

I understand there are problems in the area but feel licencing landlords will achieve very little other than moving the problem into another area (and that too only if they can force landlords not to let houses to EU immigrants). I can't but help think this is just a way of generating income for the council on the pre-tence that the local area will improve.

I reckon a few things will probably happen.

1) Tenants in the area will pay more rent.

2) The council will probably see what a good money making idea this is and roll it out to all neighbourhoods. Therefore eventually everyone who rents will pay more.

3) However on a positive note there will be a 'boom' in work for builders, handymen in the area.

4) Absent ('bad') Landlords will just ignore the legislation.

5) Very little will change in the area.

I agree the area has gone down hill and there are problems with litter and antisocial behaviour. However what I find hard to understand is how licencing will improve the area ?

 

The council can't say to landlords don't rent your houses to a particular community or to immigrants from a particular country as that would be against the law.

 

The government allowed EU immigrants into the country (whether people agree it was the right decision is another topic altogether) but now it seems the council want to restrict them living in a specific area.

 

Will they just not move into the nearby neighbourhoods (Firth Park, Burngreave ) and cause similar problems there ? These people will still live in Sheffield and as new immigrants will want to set up their own communities where they feel safe.

 

I understand there are problems in the area but feel licencing landlords will achieve very little other than moving the problem into another area (and that too only if they can force landlords not to let houses to EU immigrants). I can't but help think this is just a way of generating income for the council on the pre-tence that the local area will improve.

 

I reckon a few things will probably happen.

 

1) Tenants in the area will pay more rent.

2) The council will probably see what a good money making idea this is and roll it out to all neighbourhoods. Therefore eventually everyone who rents will pay more.

3) However on a positive note there will be a 'boom' in work for builders, handymen in the area.

4) Absent ('bad') Landlords will just ignore the legislation.

5) Very little will change in the area.

On what grounds do you make the assumption that immigrants are responsible for the problems you highlight?

Landlord gets charged a licence fee of £750. Divided by 12 = £62.50 extra monthly rent for the tenant. I mean, the landlord could divide it by 60 to reflect the 5 years but who's really counting. To be honest, the council should be paying the landlord a fee for investing in those areas in the first place. All in all, it's a terrible idea, it will just shift the problem elsewhere, and then the license fees will spread. Landlord licensing is being rolled out in "trials" all over the country. They ultimately want every landlord to pay a licence so they can track them for tax and other BS.

On what grounds do you make the assumption that immigrants are responsible for the problems you highlight?

Do you live in the Page Hall or Fir Vale areas of S4?

Have you ever lived next door to these Roma gypsies?

On what grounds do you make the assumption that immigrants are responsible for the problems you highlight?

The area is perhaps 80% occupied by immigrants and their familys, 90% of the shops in the area cater for the immigrant population and therefore perhaps its fair to assume most of the areas issues good or bad are down to immigrants .

On what grounds would you, Halibut, assume its not the local immigrants that are responsible for the problems?

On what grounds would you, Halibut, assume its not the local immigrants that are responsible for the problems?

On the grounds that they're not in his back yard!