Selective Licensing Consultation

Overview

Birmingham City Council is keen to hear your views on the proposal to introduce selective licensing in parts of the city before any decisions are made.

If you are a tenant, resident, landlord, letting agent or a business, living or operating in one of the proposed areas you could be affected by the proposal.

If a selective licensing designation is approved, the landlord of every privately rented property in the designated area would be required to obtain a licence from the Council.

The Council has become aware that a statement on page 2 of the evidence report is ambiguous. For the avoidance of doubt, Houses of Multiple Occupation in the proposed wards that do not fall under the category of mandatory licensing or are exempt, will be subject to 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 scheme will contribute to reducing crime related to the private rented sector, reducing deprivation levels for those households living in this housing sector, and raising housing conditions

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. Due to the size of the proposed scheme, approval from the Government is required.

The selective licensing evidence report and summary report which can be downloaded from the links at the bottom of this page outline our proposals and approach. The consultation questionnaire seeks your views about these proposals, our objectives, our proposed licence conditions, our proposed licensing fees, and the alternatives that you think we should consider.

The consultation on this proposal starts on Monday 25th October 2021 and will run for 10 weeks, closing at 9am on Tuesday 4th January 2022.  We have appointed Opinion Research Services (ORS) to undertake the survey on our behalf and when clicking on "Complete questionnaire" you will be directed to their website.  A copy of the questionnaire can also be downloaded by clicking on the "Questionnaire for printing" link at the bottom of this page.  ORS will produce an independent consultation report in which feedback from individual members of the public will be anonymous, but views from organisations or people acting in their official capacity may be attributed.

Written submissions and questionnaires by post (before 4th Jan 2022):

Opinion Research Services,

FREEPOST SS1018,

PO Box 530,

Swansea,

SA1 1ZL

Written submissions by email (before 4th Jan 2022): simon.beasley@birmingham.gov.uk 

For a physical copy of the questionnaire contact: simon.beasley@birmingham.gov.uk

Why your views matter

Housing is a key priority for Birmingham residents and the City Council, and it plays a significant part in all our lives. The location, type, and quality of the homes in which we live has a major impact on the rest of our lives including how children perform at school, the employment we can access and how long we can expect to live. We therefore urge you to consider our proposals carefully.