This article is an external press release originally published on the Landlord News website, which has now been migrated to the Just Landlords blog.
From 1st April 2015, all private landlords in the city of Liverpool must apply for a five-year license for each of their rental homes, under the Landlord Licensing Scheme.
The system is being launched in Liverpool under the Government’s selective licensing laws, and signing up is compulsory.
The benefits
All licensed landlords in Liverpool will be subject to a fit and proper persons inspection. Before being given a license, landlords will be asked to declare convictions for dishonesty, violence, drug-related offences, or for breaching any housing/landlord/tenant laws.
Landlord Licensing Scheme in Liverpool
Properties owned by licensed landlords must meet fire, electric and gas safety standards and be in a good state of repair. Landlords must also deal effectively with any complaints about their tenants.
Exemptions
Properties with a Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) license are exempt. There are additional exemptions for other circumstances. The full list of exemptions can be found here.
Applying
The first stage of applying is to register your contact details with Liverpool City Council, and to list the properties that you own.
Once registered, the Council will contact you to let you know how and when to complete the second part of the process, and how and when to pay.
If the application process is not started by 1st April 2015, you may be charged an administration fee or face prosecution. You can start the application here.
If you choose to complete the application offline, you can download and complete the forms from the Liverpool City Council website.
The cost
The fees detailed below apply only to online applications. For landlords who do not want to apply online, the Council will help, but will charge a fee for doing so. You can find contact details here if you do not wish to apply online.
- First property: £400
- Each additional property: £350
- Properties in an approved scheme: £200
Approved schemes
The £200 rate is available to members of the CLASS Accredited Landlord Scheme and other organisations that opt to enter Liverpool City Council’s co-regulation initiative.
However, no organisations are yet to sign up to this initiative and the Council are yet to inform them of how to do so. Once these details are in place, the Council will publish information on their website.
