Selective licensing of privately rented properties in Scarborough

We are consulting about the proposed selective licensing of privately rented properties in parts of Scarborough with the aim of protecting tenants and improving the standard of accommodation on offer in the town.

Selective licensing

Selective licensing allows councils to designate areas where there is a high concentration of private rented housing, and where there may be issues of poor property conditions and management within those properties. There may also be associated issues such as high levels of deprivation and anti-social behaviour.

All privately rented properties within designated areas have to be licensed by the local council.

Proposal for Scarborough

Our proposals cover parts of the Castle, Northstead and the Falsgrave and Stepney divisions in Scarborough.

Under the proposed scheme, which would come into effect on 1 June 2024, all privately rented properties within the designated area would have to be licensed by us.

The period of designation would last for five years and include conditions aimed at ensuring licensed properties are:

• safe
• meet basic standards and;
• are managed in a satisfactory way

The landlord licence fee being proposed is in the region of £700 per single household property to cover the five year period of the designation. This will be used for the running cost of the scheme.

Extra charges will apply for multiple household properties. Discounts may be available for landlords applying early or if they are a member of a recognised landlord association.

Some parts of the proposed area are already subject to a selective licensing scheme under the previous Scarborough North and Scarborough Central designations. We are therefore proposing a reduced fee for properties that were previously licensed under these schemes and were fully compliant with the licensing conditions.