Walsall Council’s Cabinet will be asked to consider whether or not to accept and implement the recommendations of the Private Rented Sector Housing and Selective Licensing Working Group when it meets next Wednesday 24^th April 2019.

The recommendations were agreed by the Economy and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the 19^th February 2019 and endorsed by the Full Council at its meeting on the 8^th April 2019.

The outcome of next Wednesday’s Cabinet will be of interest to the growing numbers of Walsall residents who because of the unaffordability and scarcity of homes for sale and a lack of homes for social rent have found themselves in the private rented sector.

The all party working group made the following 11 recommendations:

1. As recommended by Shelter, the Government should require landlords to register properties with a new Consumer Regulator who will manage registration, proactive monitoring and enforcement (social and private) of rented housing;
2. The Council and its partners work together to secure appropriate funding to build and provide social housing. This should include investigating the possibility of constructing modular homes as part of the social housing programme;
3. The Government be requested to introduce a single HMO definition;
4. The Council undertake a housing stock condition survey before 31st December 2019;
5. The Council increase resources for housing enforcement to tackle rogue landlords and poor housing conditions. In addition, consideration should be given to increasing staffing levels within the Housing Standards service in line with the recommendation of Karen Buck MP to ensure that the staff ratio is more than 6 staff per 10,000 households in the PRS;
6. All Landlords be encouraged to issue written tenancy agreements;
7. The Council approach the City of Wolverhampton Council regarding the establishment of a partnership arrangement to participate in the Rent with Confidence accreditation scheme;
8. The Council engage with the West Midlands Combined Authority to secure funding to tackle homelessness in Walsall;
9. The Council investigate effective methods to recruit, develop and retain both qualified and non qualified Environmental Health Officers. This could include development apprenticeships, recruiting and supporting student traineeships and securing funding from West Midlands Combined Authority;
10. Further investigations, possibly via a further Working Group, to take place to investigate working practices within the exempt accommodation sector;
11. That selective licensing be pursued in Walsall Town Centre and Willenhall with discounted fees for accredited landlords. Consideration be given to provide additional discounts for those landlords who assist the Council with housing homeless residents.

The Lead Member of the Working Group, Lib Dem Cllr Ian Shires said ahead of next week’s Cabinet meeting:

“Since the financial crash the Borough of Walsall has seen a sizable increase in the numbers of its residents living in private rented accommodation. Demand has outstripped supply for the number of homes available in the social housing sector. As a result the number of homes in the private rented sector has increased to fill the gap.

“In particular, in the period 2011 to 2018 the number of properties in the private rented sector has risen from just over 12,500 to 15,000 and this is likely to continue to increase despite its increasing unaffordability. Couple this with woefully inadequate numbers of new social housing completions this review is, we feel, timely.

“The Economy and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee which I chair hope that our report and recommendations can help and inform Cabinet and that they don’t dismiss out of hand efforts to set up new systems and processes for supporting the Borough’s residents living in the private rented sector and our efforts to improve the living conditions some have to endure.

“In gathering our evidence the Private Rented Sector Housing and Selective Licensing Working Group spoke with and asked questions of representatives from those in the sector who are known for their good practice. We also spoke with representatives of local landlords and lettings agents as well as representatives of national landlords’ organisations, Citizens Advice Walsall and from the Council’s own Housing Standards Officers.

“Of particular interest to us was the opportunity to speak to gather first hand views on how the council could improve its provision for those living and working in this tenure.

“It soon became clear that a properly defined and well communicated approach is needed to ensure that all parties are aware of the support and assistance the council can provide to them.

“We noted the need for landlords and agents to be made fully aware of their own rights and also legal responsibilities towards their tenants, in particular smaller, nonprofessional landlords. Although there is a raft of legislation applicable to the sector we found it to be fragmented and lacking in direction.

“We feel there would be a clear benefit all round for there to be a national register of Private Sector Landlords similar to that which is in place in the Irish Republic. It was felt that if this was adopted nationally it would add some clarity and protection for the majority of good landlords out there, whilst at the same time make it much easier for prospective tenants to find suitable accommodation.

“Our recommendations also include ideas, taking into account what is legally possible to do, for ensuring a better quality of accommodation in the private rented sector and encouraging and increasing landlord and agency accreditation.

“Finally it was felt by a majority on the working group that the Council should pursue Selective Licensing in the areas of most need. We did understand the concerns of Landlords about this in particular the need not to be seen to be hounding the good landlords. In order to take this into account we suggested a system of discounted fees for accredited landlords plus additional discounts to those landlords working with the Council to reduce homelessness in our Borough.”

So the scene is set. The Report has been through the Committee stage and been endorsed by Full Council. It’s now down to the Cabinet all of whom are Conservatives to accept or reject the Report’s findings.

There was fierce opposition from a majority but not all of the Conservatives at all stages of this Report. It will be interesting to see whether Cabinet choose to go against the majority view of the Council.