Key CIEH positions on housing enforcement and licensing backed by Renters’ Reform Coalition

Key positions taken by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) on housing enforcement and licensing have been backed in a new report from the Renters’ Reform Coalition.

The coalition, which comprises 21 organisations and includes major housing and homelessness charities as well as CIEH, is an important voice in debates on reform of the private rented sector and the Government’s Renters’ Rights Bill.

The coalition’s new report, entitled ‘Roadmap for Reform’, calls for proper funding of local authority housing enforcement and strengthening of selective licensing.

The report says central government should support councils through “better resourcing, funding for training of environmental health officers, making it easier for councils to introduce licensing and consolidation of legislation”.

CIEH has long called for consolidation of the various housing standards embodied in legislation in order to provide clarity for landlords, tenants and local authorities.

The report also says the proposed private rented sector database “should support and complement selective licensing” and suggests steps the Government could take to make it easier for local authorities to use licensing schemes to improve housing standards.

These steps include enabling local authorities operating selective licensing schemes to use licence conditions to improve housing conditions, increasing the maximum duration of discretionary licensing schemes from five to ten years and removing the Secretary of State’s ability to veto selective licensing schemes covering more than 20% of the local authority area.

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

“We have been working hard to win support on these issues and are delighted to have obtained this backing for our positions from the Renters’ Reform Coalition.

The importance attached by the coalition to funding for local authority enforcement and strengthening licensing is very welcome indeed.

We are particularly pleased that our positions on funding for training of environmental health professionals, consolidation of the various housing standards and removal of unnecessary barriers to the use of licensing schemes are echoed in the report.

We look forward to continuing to work with the coalition during the passage of the Renters’ Rights Bill through parliament.”