CIEH secures Lords discussion of amendments to Renters' Rights Bill on licensing

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has secured another opportunity for its amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill on licensing to be discussed in parliament – this time in the House of Lords.

Following the organisation’s approach to peers last week, Liberal Democrat peer Lord Shipley has tabled the amendments for discussion at committee stage in the Lords.

Lord Shipley is a Vice President of the Local Government Association and a former leader of Newcastle City Council.

The move comes after Green MP and co-leader Carla Denyer tabled the amendments for the report stage of the Bill in the House of Commons and spoke on them in the debate. She also tabled and spoke on an amendment covering the same issues at committee stage.

CIEH says the two amendments would remove unnecessary barriers to the use of licensing schemes to improve housing standards. They are backed by the Renters’ Reform Coalition, which comprises 21 organisations and includes major housing and homelessness charities as well as CIEH.

The first amendment would enable local authorities operating selective licensing schemes to use licence conditions to improve housing conditions.

CIEH has highlighted a “peculiar disconnect” in current legislation whereby local authorities can introduce selective licensing schemes to address poor housing conditions but cannot include in the licence itself conditions requiring the physical state of the licensed property to be improved. The first amendment would address this issue.

The second amendment would increase the maximum duration of discretionary licensing schemes, which include selective licensing schemes and additional licensing schemes for houses in multiple occupation with less than five occupiers, from five to ten years. CIEH argues that this would allow local authorities to advertise longer term posts and to include training of new staff in these schemes.

The two amendments can be found on the parliamentary website here and here. Carla Denyer can be seen speaking on the amendments at report stage in the House of Commons here. Her speech at committee stage and the Minister’s response can be heard here.

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

“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.

Our amendments would make it easier for local authorities to use licensing schemes to improve housing standards. We are delighted to have obtained support for them from politicians from different political backgrounds.

These are sensible and constructive amendments and we urge the Government to accept them.”