Bristol Landlords – Have your say on a proposal for property licensing in Bedminster, Brislington West and Horfield

Posted on March 18th, 2021

A message from Bristol City Council;

We are launching a 10-week consultation on plans to introduce licensing requirements to certain properties in Brislington West, Bedminster and Horfield to improve housing standards.

The Housing Act 2004 allows local authorities to require landlords of some privately rented accommodation to license their properties. Licensing can be applied to specific areas of the city where evidence suggests there is poor quality private rented housing.

Following the success of the licensing schemes in Stapleton Road, Easton and in St George West, Eastville and 12 wards in the centre of the city, the council is looking to further improve both the accommodation, conditions and management practices in privately rented and multiple occupied properties in these three wards.

Licensing places conditions on the landlord/agent to ensure that minimum property standards are met and that good management practice is delivered. Advice and guidance on the necessary improvements required to ensure the property complies with licensing conditions is also offered. Where landlords do not meet the required condition standards, enforcement action may follow.

The proposed scheme covers two types of licensing:

• Additional Licensing will include houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) – a house or flat that is occupied by three or more unrelated people who live together and share facilities including kitchens or bathrooms.
• Selective Licensing will include private rented properties that are occupied by one or two tenants, or a family, but are not HMOs.

The proposal is that:

•             Horfield ward is declared an Additional licensing area

•             Bedminster ward is declared a joint Additional and Selective Licensing area

•             Brislington West ward is declared a joint Additional and Selective Licensing area

If the licensing goes ahead, landlords will be charged a fee for licensing their properties. A licence will normally last for five years and conditions would be attached to the licence to improve management practices and standards.

What are we asking people to do?

We want local residents, tenants and landlords in these areas to tell us what they think.

People can find out more and have their say by filling in a survey available online at www.bristol.gov.uk/propertylicensing2021

Alternative formats or paper copies of the information can be requested by calling 0117 9222474 and leaving contact details.

The consultation closes on 26 May 2021.