Landlord clampdown zones back on the table in Stockton

Stockton Council chiefs shelved plans to charge landlords £945 per property in late 2019 – instead allowing private landlords to form their own body to drive up housing standards and push out rogue owners. 

But authority figures showed just 39 per cent of properties were covered by members of “PLuSS” (Private Landlords Supporting Stockton) in parts of the Victoria estate, in Thornaby, and central Stockton. 

The figures convinced leaders to agree to a fresh look at a more stringent selective licensing model last week – with fresh evidence to be gathered over the coming months. 

Council papers showed 593 of the 1,523 properties originally lined up for tighter measures were owned by PLuSS members. 

The PLuSS scheme saw Stockton Council carry out random inspections of members’ properties alongside more formal looks at those who’d chosen not to take part. 

But a report stated the council’s experience working with the body had been “mixed” – with some examples of landlords having little knowledge of their legal responsibilities. 

 It added: “Conditions found in inspected properties – for both PLuSS and non-PLuSS landlords – have varied from very good to very poor.

“Poor housing conditions encountered have included damp and mould growth, broken heating, communal lighting not working, (and) obstruction to a fire escape.”

Finance chief Garry Cummings said there were still many landlords who had well maintained and well managed properties – but others who didn’t engage. 

Cllr Nigel Cooke, cabinet member for housing and regeneration, told colleagues they appreciated the efforts of those on the PLuSS scheme – but believed it had “fallen short of expectations”. 

“I know these areas well – I visit them weekly,” he said.

“It’s sad to see the state of some of these areas so we really need to consider what we can do next so we can meet residents’ expectations.

“We’re recommending that we get on and do that due diligence. 

“Any case we do make for selective licensing will need to be robust and face any legal challenge.”

A licensing scheme is operating in Middlesbrough at the moment – with landlords paying £730 for a five year licence in parts of Newport, and £745 for a pass in North Ormesby. 

The idea is that selective licensing schemes raise revenue to pay for enforcement while also offering a tighter rein on anti-social behaviour. 

Cllr Cooke said they were not “jumping into” selecting licensing – adding the council was being careful to gather evidence before a final decision was made. 

The meeting heard this process would take four to five months – with results expected early next year. 

Licensing schemes have sparked backlash and legal challenges from private landlords in the past.

Dominic Ferard, from PLuSS, told leaders how the scheme had struggled to attract new members since the pandemic struck – with face-to-face meetings with potential new members since put on hold.

He believed the scheme needed more time – and warned selective licensing was “not a panacea”. 

Mr Ferard said: “We’ve been involved in six or seven schemes and I’m yet to see a scheme which makes any real difference on the ground. 

“In some schemes nothing happens at all apart from us paying fees – other schemes have one or two inspections.

“I know what you’d like to see is a transformative effect – I would too.

“But you shouldn’t overestimate what selective licensing can achieve.”

Stockton leader Cllr Bob Cook said the council had originally planned to take another look at selective licensing again last year. 

He added: “What we need to do is look to see if there is a system out there to ensure we get what we’re looking for: a good standard of private lets in the borough.

“That’s our main objective. It’s not because we want to put fees on landlords – we want to make sure people in the private sector have a good standard of housing.”

Officers said the council could take into account how PLuSS was getting on in any decision it eventually made next year.

Mr Ferard told leaders how PLuSS was keen to attract more members in the meantime – with hopes to sign up more than half of properties in the two areas.

But he also warned of “bad players” in the private housing market who wouldn’t sign up. 

“They’re not going to be easy to catch with selective licensing,” he added.  

“Whatever approach is taken, there are going to be some hard cases.

“The council does have a lot of power to take against those cases – and we’d be delighted to see those being used.”

After the meeting, Cllr Louise Baldock, member for Parkfield and Oxbridge, wanted to see selective licensing rolled out in her ward.

“There are other landlords in our area who are like Rachman,” she added. 

“Landlords who have properties which are dangerous and very poorly maintained, who intimidate their tenants, who tell their tenants that if they complain about the state of repair, they will evict them.

“There are some landlords who do manage proper rent books, who do not make it easy for their tenants, who have no regard for the community and neighbourhood where they are.

 “They let their properties to people who are known criminals for example. 

“Then all the people who live around that property have to suffer,

“The voluntary scheme – admirable though it may be – has not changed that position and could not change that position.”

Cllr Baldock didn’t think PLuSS had the teeth to clamp down on these bad landlords. 

“What the PLuSS group does is good stuff but unfortunately, the landlords who do not care, do not engage,” she added. 

“It is those landlords we’d compel to be good neighbours.

“A selective licensing scheme will bring an income which will allow us to recruit good quality enforcement officials who can make sure the properties who have very bad landlords will be inspected vigorously.”

The threat of a costly Judicial Review from landlords led the council to temporarily pause the roll-out of a full-blown selective licensing scheme. 

Thornaby mayor Cllr Steve Walmsley labelled some private landlords in his town “fly-by-nights” who were “only interested in getting their money”. 

And the member for Mandale and Victoria accused the council of “a bit of cowardice” for not pushing on earlier with selective licensing. 

Cllr Walmsley added: “They’ve got to grasp the nettle at some point because it’s getting out of control.

“You haven’t got a handle on any of these people.”

The Thornaby Independent believed a national scheme should be rolled out for all landlords – but claimed the number of MPs who rented out properties was stopping wider action.