Agenda item

8.1

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Housing and Neighbourhoods Service containing an update on the private rented sector in Sheffield, setting out information in terms of the percentage of private sector accommodation, the effects of the increase in the number of people living in the private rented sector for the City, and details of the legislation the Council used to deal with any issues or problems with regard to the private rented sector.  The report also attached, as appendices, a map highlighting the areas of the City or groups of customers, where private rented housing was dominant and the progress in terms of the Page Hall Selective Licensing Scheme, which commenced a year ago with the aim of tackling the issues associated with the problematic private rented housing in that area.

8.2

Members raised questions and the following responses were provided:-

·                One piece of legislation the Council could use in terms of enforcement action, with regard to problematic empty homes, was the Enforced Sale Procedure.  The Council only used this procedure in extreme circumstances, with only four properties being sold using the legislation.  In most cases, where works were required to a property, the Council would undertake such works, then charge the homeowner.

·                The Buy to Let market was expanding despite rising property prices, as people still viewed property as a good investment.  The Private Housing Standards Service produced self-help leaflets to assist potential landlords, as well as producing standard letters for them to use.

·                Although there was no longer a Housing Aid Section in the Council, there were still officers who provided information in connection with tenancy support, and could make referrals for benefits. 

·                There was an increasing number of Roma migrants moving to the Page Hall area, several of whom were being forced to live in neighbouring areas, resulting in poor condition housing, absent landlords, irresponsible letting and overcrowding dispersing to a wider area.

·                The Service would welcome, and benefit from, additional resources, particularly to take into account the growth of the sector and concurrent reductions in the Team.

·                The action taken and legislation used by different local authorities in terms of their respective private rented sectors was dependent on a number of factors, including the number of such properties and student population.  A number of major cities did not receive additional funding to deal with enforcement work, although some did.

·                The Service would support the idea of establishing cross-border teams across South Yorkshire, to share information, as a number of landlords had properties across the region.

·                Whilst the Council was not able to extend the boundary in respect of the Page Hall Selective Licensing Scheme in order to deal with the dispersal issues for legal reasons, they would be able to designate a new area using the Government criteria. 

·                A briefing document had been supplied to all Magistrates in the City, together with an offer to visit and discuss the legislation with them. Unfortunately, this offer was not taken up. It was not clear how seriously the Magistrates were taking the issue, but this would continue to be stressed in Court.

·                All letting and managing agents were required to register with one of the three Government-approved redress schemes, which provided better protection for tenants.  As well as this, the Service always encouraged tenants to contact officers if they were experiencing any problems so that all issues could be formally logged and used if any subsequent action was taken against a landlord.

·                The Service supported shorter-term tenancies with the shortest tenancy in law being six months.  This could be deemed as a probationary period where, if there were no problems during the initial six-month period, the landlord had the option of extending the tenancy.

·                The number of additional staff required to enable the Service to be pro-active, as opposed to reactive, would depend on how far the Council wished to go in this regard.  Two new Environmental Health Officers had recently been appointed within the Service, which had had a very positive effect on the level of action taken.

·                All landlords of larger Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) which had five or more occupied bedrooms on three or more floors were legally required to apply to the Council for a licence.  If they failed to do so, this was deemed a criminal offence.  The term of the mandatory licence was for five years, after which landlord would need to apply for a new one. 

·                Under the HMO Management Regulations, landlords are required to maintain their gardens, ensuring that they are both safe and tidy, with bushes and hedges being cut properly, and no rubbish left.

·                In terms of the details of legal proceedings during the first year of the Page Hall Selective Licensing Scheme, those landlords listed as ‘Anon’ was due to the fact that their cases were presently going through the Court process therefore, at this time, their names were not in the public domain.

8.3

RESOLVED: That the Committee:-

(a)       notes the contents of the report now submitted, together with the information now reported and the responses provided to the questions raised;

(b)       thanks Michelle Houston for attending the meeting and responding to the questions raised; and

(c)     requests updates on the progress being made, every six months.