48 Hours Left!

The new licensing scheme for rented homes in Nottingham is set to come into force on Wednesday, August 1, and yet it has so far only received applications from 10% of the city’s properties.

The new controversial licensing regime, which is set to cover in the region of 32,000 privately rented homes, affecting 91% of landlords in the city, is believed to be the second largest scheme in the UK outside of London.

Registration for the scheme has been open for a month, requiring landlords whose properties are in the designated areas to register, with accredited landlords required to pay £480 per property, while non-accredited must pay £780.

Designated areas include Arboretum, Bestwood, Bulwell, Bulwell Forest, Basford, Berridge, Bridge, Clifton North, Clifton South, Dales, Dunkirk and Lenton, Leen Valley, Mapperley, Radford and Park, Sherwood, St Ann’s, Wollaton East and Lenton Abbey.

Failure to comply with the new scheme could lead to a civil penalty of up to £30,000, or prosecution on summary conviction which carries an unlimited maximum fine. Landlords may also be prevented from holding a licence in the future.

However, the scheme has not been well received, with a recent petition calling on the government to carry out a review of Nottingham City Council’s Selective Licensing Scheme, attracting more than 1,700 signatures.

Although 32,000 or so properties need a licence, the local authority has merely received just 3,140 applications so far – and the deadline is in less than 48 hours.