Selective Licensing Proposal for Boscombe East, Boscombe West and East Cliff & Springbourne Consultation Document Summary Have your say We want to hear your views before any decisions are made Bournemouth Borough Council want to hear your views about the proposal to introduce Selective Licensing to an area within Boscombe East, Boscombe West and East Cliff & Springbourne. If you are a tenant, resident, landlord, letting agent or a business living or operating in the proposed area you could be affected by the proposals in this document. This information document is a summary of the proposals. For further details go to: www.bournemouth.gov.uk/selectivelicensing Consultation on this proposal starts on Monday 9th January 2017 and closes on Monday 1st May 2017. Following consultation, a full report on the findings and outcomes of the consultation will be presented to the Council’s Cabinet, who will make a decision on whether to implement the scheme. Should the Council decide to go forward with Selective Licensing, it will become operative following a period of three months’ notice. The designation will last for five years in accordance with the legislation. What is Selective Licensing? As part of the Housing Act 2004, the Council can introduce a scheme to license private rented properties within a particular area. If a Selective Licensing designation is approved, the landlord of every privately rented property in the designated area would have to obtain a licence from the Council, subject to a number of exemptions set out in the full Consultation Document on page 3. At the end of the five-year period, the scheme must be reviewed. It is a criminal offence to let a property in an area of designated Selective Licensing without a licence. Failure to apply for a licence could lead to prosecution and the offence is punishable by an unlimited fine. 1 What are the benefits of Selective Licensing? The introduction of Selective Licensing can bring widespread benefits to the local community. In particular, it will ensure that all privately rented properties within the designated area are managed to a satisfactory standard. Landlords will be made aware of their responsibilities and tenants of their rights. The Council considers that the scheme, with other measures, will: reduce health inequalities reduce anti-social behaviour related to the private rented sector improve the social and economic conditions in the area The scheme will achieve this by: ensuring that landlords are ‘fit and proper persons’ requiring and promoting good and fair management of tenancy relations providing support for landlords to tackle anti-social behaviour effectively protecting vulnerable tenants from the worst housing conditions and from irresponsible landlords securing strategic knowledge to support the local authority in targeting health and safety inspections and initiatives supporting landlords to improve the worst properties by helping them to achieve decent minimum standards in housing conditions and management. improving housing management standards and tackling anti-social behaviour within the sector It may also reduce environmental crime costs, such as street cleaning and tackling fly tipping and ill-health resulting from poor housing conditions. Risks Bournemouth Borough Council has considered the risks of introducing Selective Licensing. A full risk assessment can be found in Appendix E, including implications and mitigation. Risks include (but are not limited to): Displacement of irresponsible landlords to other areas Vulnerable individuals being unable to access housing in the area Risk of focusing on enforcement rather than on changing behaviour for both landlords and tenants Risk of increased rents if landlords pass on costs of improvements to tenants The Council has considered these and other potential risks arising from the proposals and has identified actions to mitigate these risks. Fees The Council would charge landlords a fee for a licence. The licence fees collected must only cover the costs of the scheme and cannot be used for other purposes. The Council has calculated that the cost for a 5-year licence should be £472 per property. 2 Discounts The Council is considering offering the following discounts: Landlords who are members of a recognised accreditation scheme may be eligible for a discounted fee of £283.20. Landlords who register for the scheme before the launch date may pay a discounted fee of £378. Additional charges The Council is considering the following additional charges: Landlords who own an entire block of flats are only required to hold one licence for the whole block. The Council proposes to make an extra charge of £65 per unit for a block licence. Landlords who fail to sign up during the first year of the scheme may incur an extra charge of £157 per licence, to reflect the extra costs to the Council of identifying and pursuing those who do not voluntarily come forward. Licensing conditions The licence will include a range of conditions aimed at ensuring licensed properties are safe, meet basic standards and that they are managed in a satisfactory way. The conditions fall into four main categories: Tenancy management; Property management; Anti-social behaviour; and Other. Tenancy management Conditions in this category set out a framework for how landlords should deal with their tenants. It includes a requirement to obtain references for prospective tenants and to protect deposits in a statutory deposit scheme. It also sets out the information that landlords must provide to their tenants such as the terms of their tenancy, complaints procedure and a rent book or rent statement. Property management This section sets out a landlord’s responsibility in terms of maintaining properties that are safe and energy efficient. Landlords must ensure that any furniture or equipment, including gas and electrical appliances, are safe and must provide evidence of this to the Council. Tenants must be given a contact number for emergency repairs. Landlords must maintain a good level of decorative order on the exterior of the property. Anti-social behaviour (ASB) Under the conditions in this section, landlords must take reasonable steps to deal with anti-social behaviour on the part of their tenants. They must supply tenants with details of the procedure for dealing with ASB at the start of the tenancy and contact tenants with details of any allegations made within seven days. Landlords must co-operate with the Council, Police or any other agencies in dealing with ASB in their properties and must report any criminal behaviour they become aware of. Other Other conditions include requirements to notify the Council of any changes to the property or ownership of the property. It also requires that anyone involved in the management of a property is a “fit and proper person”. 3 The Proposed Selective Licensing Area Which area does the Selective Licensing proposal for Bournemouth cover? The proposed area for Selective Licensing is outlined on the map on the centre pages of this document. The proposed area covers parts of three wards Boscombe West, Boscombe East and East Cliff & Springbourne. The area has been selected following careful consideration of data, showing that this area experiences high levels of both anti-social behaviour and crime, together with high levels of deprivation and a high proportion of private rented accommodation. A list of addresses affected is shown below. Why is Selective Licensing being proposed in this area? Bournemouth has an increasing private rented housing sector and for the majority of the Bournemouth area this provides valuable accommodation for residents who don’t want to or are unable to own their own home. However, in areas within Boscombe East, Boscombe West and East Cliff & Springbourne, there is concern not only about the quality of some of the housing in the private rented sector but also around the levels of anti-social behaviour, crime and deprivation which the Council believes is directly linked to some of this accommodation. A Selective Licensing designation may be made if an area to which it relates satisfies one or more of the following conditions. The area is one experiencing: low housing demand (or is likely to become such an area) a significant and persistent problem caused by anti-social behaviour poor property conditions high levels of migration high levels of deprivation high levels of crime The Council believes that there is strong evidence to support a Selective Licensing designation on the grounds of anti-social behaviour, crime and deprivation. A summary of the evidence is in the full Consultation Document and the evidence can be seen in full in Appendix A – Evidence. Addresses included in the proposed area ADELINE ROAD, 1-9, 4-10 ARGYLL ROAD, 1-21, 8-30 ASHLEY CLOSE, 2-20 ASHLEY ROAD, 1-3, 37-61, 97, 147-169, 179A-207, 10-68A AUSTIN CLOSE, 1-7, 2-8 AVON CLOSE, 1-9 AYLESBURY ROAD, 1-11, 4-26 BARHAM CLOSE, 1-13, 2-12 BEECHWOOD AVENUE, 44 BEECHWOOD GARDENS, 1-7, 2-8 BETHIA CLOSE, 1 BORTHWICK LANE, 2 BORTHWICK ROAD, 1-17, 2-18 BOSCOMBE SPA ROAD, 1-13, 2-8 CAMPBELL ROAD, 1-11, 2-24 CAPSTONE GARDENS, 1-2 CAPSTONE PLACE, 1-21, 4-14 CARLTON ROAD, 1-37, 2-38 CARNARVON ROAD, 1-7, 2-40 CARYSFORT ROAD, 1-23, 2-16 CECIL ROAD, 1-29, 2-4 CHESSEL AVENUE, 3-31 CHRISTCHURCH ROAD, 443-915, 428-802, 816934A CHURCHILL ROAD CLEVELAND GARDENS All addresses included CLEVELAND ROAD All addresses included COLONNADE ROAD All addresses included COLVILLE CLOSE All addresses included COLVILLE ROAD All addresses included CORPORATION ROAD All addresses included CRABTON CLOSE ROAD All addresses included CURZON ROAD, 1-73, 2-56 DERBY ROAD, 1 DONOUGHMORE ROAD All addresses included 6 DRUMMOND ROAD All addresses included EGERTON GARDENS All addresses included ELWYN ROAD All addresses included FLORENCE ROAD, 21-39, 4-38 FRANCES ROAD, 1-21, 30-68 GARDENS VIEW All addresses included GARFIELD AVENUE All addresses included GLADSTONE MEWS All addresses included GLADSTONE ROAD All addresses included GLADSTONE ROAD EAST All addresses included GLADSTONE ROAD WEST All addresses included GLOUCESTER ROAD, 3-61, 4-64 GORDON ROAD All addresses included GRANTLEY ROAD All addresses included GRANTS AVENUE All addresses included GRANTS CLOSE All addresses included GROSVENOR GARDENS All addresses included HAMILTON CLOSE All addresses included HAMILTON ROAD All addresses included HANNINGTON GROVE All addresses included HANNINGTON PLACE, 1 and 2 HANNINGTON ROAD, 38 HARCOURT ROAD, 20 HARRISON AVENUE All addresses included HARVEY ROAD All addresses included HAVILAND MEWS All addresses included HAVILAND ROAD All addresses included HAVILAND ROAD EAST All addresses included HAVILAND ROAD WEST All addresses included HAWKWOOD MEWS All addresses included HAWKWOOD ROAD All addresses included HEATHCOTE ROAD All addresses included HENGIST ROAD All addresses included HEVALO CLOSE All addresses included HOLDENHURST ROAD, 179-401, 140-500 HORACE ROAD All addresses included JEFFERSON AVENUE All addresses included KNOLE ROAD, 4-48 KNYVETON ROAD, 24, 30 to 32, 36 LANGTON ROAD All addresses included LINCOLN AVENUE All addresses included LOWTHER GARDENS All addresses included LYTTON ROAD All addresses included MADISON AVENUE All addresses included MALMESBURY PARK PLACE All addresses included MELBOURNE ROAD All addresses included METHUEN CLOSE All addresses included MICHELGROVE ROAD, 26 MORLEY CLOSE All addresses included MORLEY ROAD, 1-27, 2-24 NORTH ROAD All addresses included NORTHCOTE ROAD All addresses included OPHIR GARDENS All addresses included OWLS ROAD, 2 & 4 PALMERSTON MEWS All addresses included PALMERSTON ROAD All addresses included PARKWOOD ROAD, 3-17, 4-24 PAUNCEFOTE ROAD, 16 PERCY ROAD, 2, 3 4 PORTCHESTER PLACE PORTMAN MEWS All addresses included PORTMAN ROAD All addresses included PRIOR CLOSE All addresses included QUEENSLAND ROAD All addresses included RANDOLPH ROAD All addresses included RICHMOND PARK CLOSE All addresses included ROSEBERY ROAD All addresses included ROUMELIA LANE All addresses included ROYAL ARCADE All addresses included SALISBURY ROAD All addresses included SEA ROAD, 9-43, 4-38 SEABOURNE ROAD, 29-69 SHELBOURNE CLOSE All addresses included SHELLEY CLOSE All addresses included SHELLEY GARDENS All addresses included SHELLEY ROAD All addresses included SHELLEY ROAD EAST All addresses included SOMERSET ROAD, 3 SOUTHCOTE ROAD, 1B to 137B, 2-78 SPRING ROAD All addresses included ST CLEMENT'S GARDENS All addresses included ST CLEMENT'S ROAD, 37-61, 12-74 ST JAMES'S SQUARE All addresses included ST JOHN'S ROAD All addresses included ST LEDGER'S PLACE All addresses included ST MARY'S ROAD All addresses included ST SWITHUN'S ROAD All addresses included STANLEY ROAD STEWART CLOSE All addresses included STEWART MEWS All addresses included THE CRESCENT All addresses included TAMWORTH ROAD, 1 TOWER ROAD All addresses included VALE ROAD, 9 & 11 VICTORIA PLACE All addresses included VICTORIA ROAD All addresses included WALPOLE ROAD All addresses included WARWICK PLACE, 8 WASHINGTON AVENUE All addresses included WESLEY CLOSE All addresses included WESTBY ROAD All addresses included WHARNCLIFFE ROAD All addresses included WILFRED ROAD, 1-5, 2-6 WILSON ROAD All addresses included WINDHAM ROAD, 1-303, 28-200 WINDSOR ROAD All addresses included WOLVERTON ROAD All addresses included 7 Have your say on the proposal Your views are important to us and we want to hear from all those living in the area or who could be affected by this proposal. The consultation survey should be completed and returned in the prepaid reply envelope supplied. Completed surveys will be sent to the Market Research Group at Bournemouth University for data input. At all times your data will be dealt with in accordance with the Data Protection Act. If you require a large print copy or alternative language please call 01202 451515 or email [email protected] giving your name, address and telephone number. The full Consultation Document can be found at www.bournemouth.gov.uk/selectivelicensing along with supporting documents. The full document can also be seen in local libraries. Alternatively you can send written submissions to: [email protected] Drop in sessions and roadshows will be held at a number of locations in Bournemouth from January – April 2017. Roadshows will give general information and raise awareness of the consultation. Drop-in sessions will be staffed by members of the Council’s housing team and provide an opportunity for you to get more detailed answers to any specific question you may have. Date January 11th January 14th January 19th January 21st January 26th Time 10am – 2pm 12pm – 4pm 12pm – 4pm 9:30am – 1pm 4pm – 7pm Location Boscombe Library Sovereign Centre Sovereign Centre Southbourne Library Springbourne Library Details Drop-in Road show Road show Drop-in Drop-in February 4th February 9th February 16th February 23rd February 25th March 4th March 9th March 11th March 16th March 23rd 10am – 1pm 1:30pm - 4:30pm 12pm – 4pm 4pm – 7pm 12pm – 4pm 10am - 12:30pm 4pm – 7pm 12pm – 4pm 1pm – 4pm 12pm – 4pm Boscombe Library Springbourne Library Sovereign Centre Southbourne Library Sovereign Centre Springbourne Library Boscombe Library Sovereign Centre Southbourne Library Sovereign Centre Drop-in Drop-in Road show Drop-in Road show Drop-in Drop-in Road show Drop-in Road show Sovereign Centre Sovereign Centre Road Show Road Show April 8th April 20th 12pm – 4pm 12pm – 4pm What happens next? The results of the consultation will be considered by Bournemouth Borough Council’s Cabinet alongside other evidence. If a decision is made to go ahead with the scheme it would come into effect after a three-month notice period, early in 2018. 8
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