Selective Licensing Sept 21 Update

Selective Licensing update

Earlier in the year, we reported that a Selective Licensing (SL) scheme had been agreed by Southend Borough Council to cover families living in private rented homes within the Milton, Kursaal, Victoria and Chalkwell wards. This means landlords will need a licence for each property they rent out or risk severe penalties if they fail to obtain one.

Council SL team

Work is continuing behind the scenes at Southend Council, however we have been advised that emails about SL cannot be answered at the current time.  Olivia Richards has been appointed as Scheme Manager to implement Selective Licensing and recruitment for the full team takes place this month.

We know the Council will be launching an electronic system for the application and issuing of licences, but this is not currently operational. Ian Gilbert, Leader of the Council has said the system will be ready to receive applications by 01 December 2021.  The message does now appear to be that properties do not have to be licensed by this date, this is simply when the Council will be able to take applications.

Pace will offer a licence application service once the Local Authority system goes live and we will circulate further information in due course.

Licence Pricing

We know the cost of a licence will be £688 per property, for the full five-year period of the licence.  We previously asked whether discounts will be available for owners of multiple properties, but no details have been announced on possible reductions.   However, we understand this is still being considered and we will share further information with you as soon as it becomes available.

An Early Bird discount has been proposed by SEAL for applications received during the first four months of the scheme, up to March 2022.

Southend Borough Council are communicating with us directly via email and will post updates on all matters relating to Selective Licensing on its Private Housing website pages found here: https://www.southend.gov.uk/private-housing/selective-licensing-scheme/1

Martin Ransom is Office Manager at Pace, an independent Southend on Sea Letting Agent.

With nearly 25 years experience in the property industry, Martin is well placed in his role as Branch Manager for Pace.

After joining the business in 2010 Martin took it upon himself to foster excellent customer service among the team and this continues to position Pace as a leader in its field today.