Green co-leader backs CIEH on licensing in speech to MPs scrutinising Renters’ Rights Bill

Green MP and co-leader Carla Denyer has backed Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) positions on licensing in a speech to a committee of MPs scrutinising the Renters’ Rights Bill.

Ms Denyer was speaking on an amendment she had tabled aimed at removing unnecessary barriers to the use of licensing schemes to improve housing standards.

The amendment would have increased the maximum duration of discretionary licensing schemes from five to ten years and enabled local authorities operating selective licensing schemes to use licence conditions to improve housing conditions.

Ms Denyer told the committee that licensing provides a means for local authorities to inspect privately rented housing using enforceable conditions - and to identify and resolve problems - without the need for tenants to have complained.

She also referred to the role of CIEH in highlighting a “peculiar disconnect” in the Housing Act 2004 licensing legislation whereby local authorities can introduce selective licensing schemes to address poor housing conditions but cannot include a directly enforceable requirement relating to housing condition as a condition of the licence itself. The amendment would have addressed this issue.

Ms Denyer sought a commitment from the Government to removing the Secretary of State’s ability to veto selective licensing schemes covering more than 20% of the local authority area. She also sought a commitment to removing the requirement for local authorities establishing selective licensing schemes to ensure that the private rented sector forms a high proportion of properties in the area.

In his response, Minister for Housing and Planning Mathew Pennycook opposed increasing the maximum duration of licensing schemes but did not comment directly on the issue of using licence conditions to improve housing conditions.

Ms Denyer’s speech and the Minister’s response can be heard here. The amendment, which was not voted on in the committee, is amendment NC9 on the amendment paper here and a CIEH parliamentary briefing urging support for it can be found here.

Mark Elliott, President of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, said:

“We are delighted that the case for removing unnecessary barriers to the use of licensing schemes to improve housing standards has been made in a parliamentary committee.

We hope the Government will now grasp the opportunity presented by this Bill to make it easier for local authorities to use these schemes.

We will continue to raise these and other issues during the passage of the Bill through parliament.”