Summary Consultation document

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.
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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:
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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):
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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.
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Discounts
The Council is considering offering the following discounts:
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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:

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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”.
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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:
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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
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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
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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.
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